| POETEAITUEE OF MOEMONTSM, ' 



I 



OR ANIMADVERSIONS ON THE 

PEETENSIONS AND DOCTKIJSTES 

OP THE 



j LATTER-BAY SAINTS; 

A REVIEW OF THE HISTORY AND 

foments of tfje Boofc of Mormon ; 



AND A SKETCH OF 



j THE CAEEEE OE JOSEPH SMITH, 

AND VARIOUS OTHER 

NOTORIOUS FANATICS AND IMPOSTORS. 

BY 

| DR. GK SEXTON, ' j ' ■ 

j HONORARY MEMBER OF VARIOUS SCIENTIFIC, MEDICAL, AND 
LITERARY SOCIETIES, BRITISH AND CONTINENTAL, ETC. 




Ka& ttoWoi tyevbo 7rpG<pTjTai eyepOrjeoVTai, ical 
7r\ai/rjcrov<n iroWovs. — Jesus Christ. 

ilia patefacienda ut ne quid omnino, quod venditor norit, 
emptor ignoret. — Tully. 

L01SD02T : 

W. STEANGE, 21, PATEENOSTEE- EOW. 

AND MAY BE HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS. 

'syzr ~ ~ -viX>j 



A 

PORTRAITURE OE MORMONISM. 

OR ANIMADVERSIONS ON THE 

DOCTEINES AND PEETENSIONS 

OP THE 

1881 

P?>AN-S^ " ^ 

©entente (tf tf)e 3Sooft jjf Jtasmm ; 

AND 

A SKETCH OE THE CAREER OE JOSEPH SMITH, 
AND VARIOUS OTHER 

NOTOEIOTJS FANATICS AND IMPOSTOES; 

BEING LECTURES DELIVERED BY 

DR. GEO. SEXTON, 

HONORARY MEMBER OF VARIOUS SCIENTIFIC, MEDICAL, AND 
LITERARY SOCIETIES, BRITISH AND CONTINENTAL, ETC. 



Kat TroWot tyevco 7rpo<prjraL iyepSytrovrai, 
teat 7r\avrj(jov(jL 7roWoys. — Jesus Christ. 



LONDON : 

W. STEANGE, 21, PATEENOSTEE EOW. 

AKD MAT BE HAD OP ALL BOOKSELLEKS. 
1849. 



6 



ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL. 



ERRATA. 



Page 15, line 3J, for those, read these. 

— 18, 

— 45, 

— 70, 

— 103, 

— 108, 



19. for faith in pretensions, read faith in her pretensions 
7, for they have come, read they are come. 
3, for manifestions, read manifestations. 

21, for in the first, read in the first place. 

20, for the souls, read their souls. 





LC Control Number 




» 








tmp96 


029195 



Printed by Baily and Jones 5 Cirencester. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The following Lectures form two of a series on false and 
Antichristian Isms, viz. Atheism — Deism — Owenism — 
Mohammedanism — Romanism — Mormonism — Swedenborg- 
ianism — Socinianism — Fanaticism and Sectarianism, and 
have generally been delivered, in connexion with the 
others, before various Literary and Eeligious Societies ; 
but within these last few years Mormonism, or Latter Day 
Saint -Ism, having made considerable progress amongst 
the ignorant and uneducated, by the vain pretensions and 
cunning craftiness of its advocates, the Lectures on that 
subject have been oftener called for than any of the 
others. 

Urged by the request of several Friends, and Gentle- 
men holding various religious sentiments, who he&rd 
them delivered, and wished to possess the matt 
tained in them in a more permanent form, as well 
consideration and hope that, as some good was c 
their delivery, more may be done by their peruse 
printed, I have consented to send them to press. 

Gr. S. 



a 2 



X 



PREFACE. 



The divine founder of the Christian Eeligion had 
scarely left the Earth, before Heresies of various kinds 
began to creep into the church; and individuals, "whose 
doctrines partook more of the nature of Infidelity than 
of the pure and sublime truths of the Grospel, dressed 
themselves in the garb of Christianity, in order to pro- 
pagate the more effectually their pernicious principles, 
and enhance their own temporal power, fame, and 
wealth. The chief of these consisted of persons who 
pretended to be possessed of superhuman powers, and 
the chosen instruments, in the hands of the Almighty, 
for bringing about some great and important work, 
generally teaching that the scriptures were insufficient 
to inform those who read them the way of salvation, 
and consequently the necessity of other communications 
being received from the supreme majesty of heaven, 
which communications were to be made through the 
medium of themselves. From that time to the present, 
the church has been infested with these kind of im- 
postors. 

In all ages, and in every nation, persons who thought 
they could enjoy more luxury, ease, extravagance, and 
notoriety by pretending to be possessed of more than 
human powers, have been found treading on common 
sense and Revelation by practising these impositions. 

a 3 



vi 



PBEPACE. 



Only twelve years after our Lord's crucifixion, Jose- 
phus informs us, Padus, being Procurator of Judea, a 
certain impostor, called Theudas, persuaded a very great 
multitude, taking their effects with them, to follow him 
to the River Jordan, assuring them that he was a 
Prophet, and that causing the river to divide at his com- 
mand, he would give them an easy passage over ; but 
Padus sent out a troop of horse, who, coming upon 
them unexpectedly, slew many and took many prisoners. 
Theudas himself was among the last-mentioned. They 
cut off his head and brought it to Jerusalem.* 

Shortly after this, Simon Magus, whom we read of in 
the Acts of the Apostles, made his appearance in the 
world and attempted to deceive the people by tricks of 
legerdemain, intermixing with his blasphemous doctrines 
some slight fragments of the christian religion, but 
making pretensions beyond all bounds, declaring himself 
to be the Almighty, who appeared in Samaria as the 
Pather — in Judea, as the Son — and in other nations as 
the Holy G-host. 

During the first few centuries after the establishment 
of the christian religion, several hundred false christs 
and false prophets arose, who endeavoured to draw away 
the minds of pious and humble believers from the truth, 
and lead them to embrace their own horrible and abomi- 
nable errors; and since that period, in every age, a num- 
ber of shallow-brained fanatics have made nearly the 
same pretensions, all verifying to the very letter the 
prophecy of the Saviour, that false prophets should rise 
and should deceive many.f 

* Ant. B. 20. Chap. 5. 1. 
t Matthew, Chap. 24, Verse ii. 



PEEEACE. 



Vll 



The most notorious of these in our day are Oliver 
Cowdery, Sidney Bigdon, Orson Spencer, and a few 
others, calling themselves Mormonites, or, Latter-Day 
Saints, who are, however, hut secondary prophets, their 
great primary one being Joseph Smith ; but, notwith- 
standing this, their pretensions to inspiration — the gift 
of prophecy — and other supernatural powers, are nearly 
as great as those who lived in former ages, and, I need 
not add, equally preposterous and wicked. 

In the following lectures I have endeavoured to inves- 
tigate the grounds upon which they base their preten- 
sions, giving a brief sketch of their origin and history ; 
an examination of various passages of scripture, said to 
be prophetic of the discovery of the Book of Mormon ; 
a review of the contents of the new revelation ; and a 
glance at the gifts with which they tell us their church 
is endowed ; intending to shew that the marks of impos- 
ture are plainly written upon all their doings and pro- 
ceedings, How far I have been successful in that 
respect the reader must be the judge. 

The vain and boasted pretensions of these men, by 
which they have led astray and deceived many of the 
most heedless and thoughtless amongst the ignorant and 
uneducated, are not everything that we behold in con- 
nexion with them, calculated to produce injury upon 
society wherever they go : their doctrines are equally 
bad, being entirely opposed both to reason and scripture, 
and of a nature just adapted to lead their votaries to 
atheism and infidelity. Never was a more infidel doc- 
trine preferred in society, than that of the Eternity of 
Matter, as held in common by Latter-Day Saints and 
unbelievers in the existence of Deity. To this I have 



Vlll 



PEEFACE. 



given some consideration, endeavouring to shew the falsity 
of the statement so frequently made, both by atheists 
and mormonites, that it is based upon science. Their 
other sentiments are equally opposed to the teaching of 
scripture and the dictates of common sense. Their 
views of the person of Grod are horrible in the extreme, 
and their notions of the state of the dead are more 
nearly allied to popery than anything I ever met with 
out of the Eomish Church. 

All these considerations will I am satisfied be consi- 
dered a sufficient apology, by those who value true 
religion and abhor imposture and error, for the appear- 
ance of the present work. 

Gr. SEXTON. 

London, 

July 18th, 1849. 



LECTURE I. 



The subject that I have to bring before your notice this 
evening, as you have already been given to understand, 
is Mormonism ; or an investigation of the pretensions 
and doctrines of the Latter Day Saints, a people who 
have arisen in America within these last few years, 
headed by an individual, professing to be a prophet of 
the most High, who has received various revelations 
from heaven ; and a commission from the eternal world, 
to establish a new religion on the earth, which shall 
supersede all the forms of Christianity at present in exist- 
ence amongst the various sects of professing christians. 
As this is a subject connected with religion, and conse- 
quently with our eternal state, it demands our serious 
consideration, candid investigation, and deliberate reflec- 
tion. 

The advocates of this new system tell us that all other 
denominations are in error — that they alone are the true 
church — that they possesss the powers and gifts commu- 
nicated from heaven to the primitive christians — that 
their founder received his commission direct from the 
Deity, by means of an angel — and that all who do not 
believe in him must expect the terrible wrath of an 
offended God to be poured out upon them. ISTow it 
certainly is of a vast amount of importance for us to 
know what the Lord would have us to do, and what is 
His will concerning us, — whether the doctrines revealed 
in the Book of Mormon, and taught by the Latter Day 
Saints, are true or false ; and whether we are, therefore, 
bound to receive the new revelation, rejecting the doctrines 
we have been accustomed to believe perfect and correct, 
or to retain our former opinions, and denounce Mormon- 
ism as a heresy. The great apostle of the Gentiles has 
advised us to prove all things, taking care at the same time 
to hold fast that which is good ; and has also informed 
us that if an angel from heaven should visit earth, to 



10 



preach any other doctrines than those which he taught 
us, we were to reject them, and the administrator should 
be accursed. There is an old adage, magni est Veritas et 
prcevalebit, and believing this, I come forward this evening 
to investigate the principles and precepts recommended 
to our notice by the followers of Joseph Smith, well 
knowing that, if they be true, they will triumph, and 
overcome all the opposition that can be raised against 
them, either by men or demons ; but, if false, will fall, in 
spite of the efforts and exertions of their most zealous 
and enthusiastic advocates, for 

Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again, 
The eternal years of God are tier's ; 

But error wounded writhes in pain, 
And dies amid her worshippers. 
With an earnest desire for a knowledge of the truth I 
first examined the doctrines of the Latter Day Saints, 
bearing in mind that proverb of the wis€ man, " he who 
judgeth a matter before he heareth it is a fool," and, 
although I may, from previous investigation, be quite 
decided myself, as to their truth or falsity, yet knowing 
that many of you are not, I will, in as brief a manner as 
possible, bring before you the leading features and funda- 
mental points, with the professed evidence given of their 
validity, in order that you may judge for yourselves, and 
may not be led away by the plausible pretensions of 
those whose interest teaches them to deceive. 

It is my firm opinion that the Mormonitish preachers 
have one set of doctrines for unbelievers and another for 
converts ; that they hold out a kind of golden bait, to 
entrap the unguarded and thoughtless ; but, having once 
made sure of their prey, the curtain is drawn aside, the 
white robe falls off, and all the horrible and abominable 
doctrines are then exposed to view. This is rather a 
harsh statement to make, and much stronger than I 
should feel justified in making, did I not believe it to be 
as true as the gospel and word of Grod. The way I 
came to such a conclusion was this — I read their works 
through and through again, I made myself thoroughly 
acquainted with all the principles and precepts contained 
in them. I then attended their preaching, expecting to 
hear similar doctrines to those which had been unfolded 
to my view in the various works I had read. But, oh ! 



11 



judge of ray surprise when I heard nothing of the kind — 
when I found the Book of Mormon (without which the 
Bible had been represented as being useless) together with 
all the most important doctrines left out of the question, 
and the chief things talked of were repentance, faith, &c. 
points of doctrine upon which they differ but little from 
the majority of Christians. This convinced me that their 
plan was to let the public into the light of one doctrine 
at a time, attempting to make converts of persons, ad- 
mitting them into their church by plunging them over 
head and ears in water, and laying on of hands for the 
receiving of the Holy Grhost and spiritual gifts, before 
they informed them all that was behind the scene. I 
venture to say that if some of you have attended their 
preaching ever since you were made acquainted with the 
fact that there were such people in existence, you have 
never heard the secrets that I will disclose to your view 
in these Lectures. 

But, to come to the main question, the Latter-Day 
Saints (so called) profess to have received a new revela- 
tion from Grod to man, superseding that which we have 
been accustomed to look upon as superior to any thing 
that ever was or ever will be written — The New Testa- 
ment. They tell us that Heaven has again deigned to 
hold converse with Earth, and that another communica- 
tion from the Supreme Majesty on high to his finite 
creatures has been granted. That revelation and com- 
munication is the Book of Mormon. When the divine 
Redeemer of the world was asked on one occasion by a 
young man what should be done in order to gain eternal 
life, he pointed the inquirer first to the old J ewish law, as 
the one in which he had been trained and educated, but 
finding that he had externally conformed to all the rites 
and ceremonies enjoined by that first and but typical law, 
he then directed him to a new and superior one, to a better 
dispensation, and to a more spiritual worship than that 
which he had previously been acquainted with, viz. Chris- 
tianity and the New Testament. But the enlightenment 
of the Latter-Day Saints would tell us neither to study 
the Old or New Testament, for if we did we should not 
be able to understand it ; but to read, mark, learn, and 
inwardly digest the superior doctrines and precepts con- 



12 



tained in the Book of Mormon. And what, you ask, in 
the name of all that is good, is the Book of Mormon ? 
"Where did it come from ? Who wrote it ? When was 
it indited, &c. &c. Oh ! to ask questions of that kind 
savours more of infidelity than religion. May not Grod 
give you a revelation without informing you how he gave 
it, or disclosing to you the secret connected with its 
origin ? Tou answer, and answer rightly, yes, if at the 
same time he had deprived us of reason and intellect, but 
while he has endowed us with both, and mental culture 
and education to boot, certainly not. Well, then the 
Book of Mormon came from Grod. By the bye not from 
heaven but out of the earth, a kind of geological or cos- 
mological treasure, instead of a celestial one. We have 
heard of a reverend gentleman, who maintains that the 
locality where the spirits of those who are dead reside is 
in the earth, telling us that the Hebrew term sclieol, and 
the Greek adees, indicate some place in the centre of the 
earth, which is inhabited not by mortal beings, but by 
immaterial spirits, but never before heard of a revelation 
from Grod coming out of the earth. 

However, Grod has never yet given a revelation of his 
will to mankind without giving with it evidence of its 
truth ; and, consequently, if we judge of the future from 
the past, we may expect that if the Book of Mormon be 
the word of Grod, we shall not have to search long before 
we shall discover plenty of evidence of its being so. If 
revelations from the Creator brought with them no evi- 
dence of their truth, we should never be able to determine 
what was of Grod and what of Satan — what true and 
what false — as the world in which we are placed contains 
a multiplicity of opinions, both true and false ; and the 
advocates of each tell us that they are right and every 
other person in error ; for instance, the Hindoo points to 
the Shaster, and exclaims Behold the word of Grod. The 
Mahometan holds up the Koran, and cries This is the 
only and true revelation of Deity. WTiile the Christian 
takes his Bible, and clasping it to his breast, exclaims In 
thee alone has Grod revealed himself to mankind. jS"ow 
if there were no evidence to be found in proof of the 
truth of one of these books more than the others, we 
should be bound by the rules of consistency either to 



13 



reject the whole or receive them all. But, as we have 
evidence of the truth of the Christian Scriptures, which 
cannot be brought for either Alkoran or the Shaster, we 
receive the one and reject the other two. Thus wisely 
God has acted in giving us evidence, and intellects to 
judge of it, instead of leaving us in the dark to grope 
our way without the possibility of knowing whether we 
were right or wrong. So then, if the Book of Mormon 
comes from God, either in the place of the Bible or in 
addition to it, we expect it will bring with it an amount 
of evidence which its greatest opponents shall not be able 
to gainsay, otherwise it will be of little use for it to come 
at all. 

The followers of Joseph Smith should remember that 
they are not the only people who have laid claim to di- 
vine inspiration — that their founder is not the only man 
who has pretended to receive communications from the 
God of heaven — and that the Book of Mormon is not the 
only book that has been given us under the pretence of 
its being an appendix to the sacred oracles of divine and 
unerring truth. Both ancient and modern history 
abound with instances of a similar kind. Amongst the 
Mahometans many have pretended to have been inspired 
by the spirit of the great Arabian impostor ; and, in 
pagan nations, by the spirits of their wooden idols. 
Since the origin of the grand and glorious doctrines of 
Christianity, we have had hundreds of individuals on 
every hand pretending to the gifts of prophecy, m : racle 
working, and divine inspiration ; and in many cases they 
have carried their fanaticism to such an extent as to de- 
clare themselves Sons of God, Messiahs, &c. I will just 
give a brief sketch of a few of them. 

In Germany, in the year 1525, one of those individuals 
made his appearance, named Thomas Munzer. He 
declared himself to be an inspired prophet, and the 
instrument chosen by Christ to bring about His millenial 
reign on the earth. He professed to have direct inter- 
course with the Deity, and placed himself on a level with 
the prophets and apostles of old. His followers at one 
time became very numerous and at last their fanaticism 
led them to believe that, they being the peculiar favourites 
of heaven, ought to hold the reins of government ; they, 

B 



14 



therefore, organized themselves into an army, for the 
express purpose of overtarning all the governing powers 
in existence — uprooting the institutions depending 
thereon — nullifying the laws of the land — and making 
a complete revolution in the country. However, an army 
coming against them, they were soon overcome, several 
thousands being slain and the rest put to flight. 

About five or six years after this two other individuals 
arose, making nearly the same pretensions, one, a tailor, 
named Boccoldt, a native of Leyden, and, therefore, called 
John of Leyden, and the other, a baker, of Haerlem, 
named John Matthias. They began to spread their doc- 
trines in Munster, the capital of "Westphalia, where they 
soon gained a number of followers. They declared them- 
selves to be chosen of God, to establish a spiritual 
kingdom, which should hold in subjection to its authority 
all the kingdoms of the earth. But, spiritual as this 
kingdom was represented to be, Matthias and Boccoldt 
considered temporal powers the best, and the wielding of 
a temporal sceptre, the most successful for their purpose, 
so they organized an army, and attacked the city of 
Munster. Them army being rather powerful, they 
deposed the magistrates and took the city, which they 
named Mount Zion, and John Matthias was now pro- 
claimed its king. "While holding the regal power, he 
declared himself to be Enoch the second, high priest 
of God, and made various other idle and wicked preten- 
sions, all of which tended to the enriching of himself. 
Shortly after this, however, in an encounter, this soi disant 
monarch was slain, and his coadjutor, John Boccoldt, 
became his successor to the royal dignity, under whose 
guidance the people were led to wilder excesses in fanati- 
cism than they had been by Matthias. He held that the 
custom of polygamy was lawful, and to show his own 
favourable opinion of it at one time he married nearly a 
dozen wives. He and his followers frequently ran naked 
through the city, crying wo ! wo ! wo ! and when re- 
quested by some of their friends, and others, to dress 
themselves, they refused, saying, as an excuse, " we are 
the naked truth." It was communicated to John of 
Leyden, in one of his visions, that several other cities 
were given to him, and consequently he sent some of his 



15 



fanatical followers to establish his kingdom there, but? 
they not being sufficiently numerous, were defeated, and 
many of them put to a cruel death. After this the 
rightful owner to the throne of Munster came against 
the city with an army, besieged it, and took John 
Boccoidt and put him to death. Thus ended the career 
of this impostor and fanatic. 

To John of Leyden, succeeded a cobbler, named 
Herman, who professed to be the Son of God. History 
also gives us an account of an impostor, of Amsterdam, 
named Theodore, and known by the cognomen of 
Theodore of Amsterdam, who ran naked through the 
city, and held nearly the same tenets as the afore- 
mentioned personages. 

In the year 1556 we have the appearance of another 
individual of this class, whose blasphemous pretensions 
were surprising, named David George. He pretended 
to be not merely a prophet of Grod, (this office was not 
sufficiently exalted for him,) but the true Messiah, sent 
down from heaven. He taught that he was invested 
with authority to bind and loose, and that at the last day 
he should be a judge — that the prophets and apostles, 
and even Christ himself, predicted his coming — and 
that without his writings the scriptures would be use- 
less. 

About a century after this, being in the year 1657, an 
Englishman, a tailor by trade, named Lodowick Muggle- 
ton, and an associate of his, named Reeves, began to 
declare themselves to be the Lord's two last witnesses, 
mentioned in the Revelations of St. John, who were to 
precede the second coming of Christ, and the universal 
conflagration. They, like all the rest, pretended to 
dream dreams, see visions, work miracles, and a thousand 
other species of religious enthusiasm, but never attained 
any very considerable eminence. Their followers were 
few in number, and their fame very short lived. 

JSor have those mighty powers, gifts, and blessings 
been confined to the male sex, but occasionally we have 
had one of the lady portion of our race laying claim 
to the powers of prophecy, miracle working, divine 
inspiration, etc. Still we should have supposed that 
they would be much more mild in their denunciations 

b 2 



16 



than the opposite sex, and, therefore, less objectionable, 
We should have thought that combined with their mild 
and gentle dispositions — their soft and winning ways — 
their loving and affectionate turn of mind — we should 
have looked in vain for that bigotry and sectarianism, 
which marked the career of the male fanatics, but such is 
really not the case. The females were (if possible) ten 
times more intolerant than the men, The first of this 
class that we shall turn our attention to is one of our 
own countrywomen, who made a great stir about fifty 
years ago, I refer now to Johanna Southcott, a name 
which undoubtedly is familiar to most of you, as her 
fanatical and enthusiastic career is well known to most 
persons in the country. She was born in Devonshire, 
about the year 1750, of poor and humble parents, but 
towards the latter end of her life she arose to great 
affluence and wealth, by pretending to divine inspiration, 
and thus deceiving the ignorant and uneducated. During 
the early part of her life, she was employed as a domestic 
servant, and, from the testimony of persons who knew 
her, we learn that she was little superior to an idiot or a 
lunatic, but in later years there seem to have entered 
into her disposition a vast amount of ambition, which, 
uniting itself with the former defective intellectual 
capacity, produced in her mind that fanaticism mani- 
fested to such an extent during the remainder of her 
life. She has written a number of pamphlets, all of 
which contain such a mass of ignorance, folly and super- 
stition as is seldom to be seen combined together. She 
declared that she was sent from heaven, to prophesy 
respecting the future state of the world, and to publish 
to mankind the dreadful judgments that God was about 
to bring upon them, for not obeying his laws, which laws 
were contained in the revelations she had received. Her 
followers assert that the bible, without her writings, is of 
no value whatever, as no person can understand it; 
saying that the new testament was given as an expo- 
sition of the old, and the books of Mrs. Southcott as 
exposition of the new. They tell us that when the 
judgments of the Almighty shall take place on the earth, 
which she had been, year after year, predicting, they 
alone are to be spared; their protection being a seaij 



17 

folded in a letter, given them by Johanna, which was not 
to be opened by them. She gives ns to understand that 
she is to have 144,000, of these sealed ones, which is the 
number spoken of in the [Revelations of St. John, she 
being the woman there described, as clothed with the 
sun, having the moon beneath her feet, and on her head 
a crown of twelve stars — that she was commanded by 
the Spirit of God to choose seven men, who are her 
seven saints, answering to the seven Spirits before the 
throne of God — and also, that she should select twenty- 
four persons from her disciples, answering to the twenty- 
four elders mentioned in the apocalypse, as being before 
the throne of God. She was, of course, in the habit of 
dreaming dreams, seeing visions, and frequently hearing 
the voice of God speak to her in an audible manner. 
She prophesied, respecting the future state of the French 
and English nations, describing to a nicety various 
mighty events that were about to take place in this 
country and on the Continent. The state of Prance, at 
that period, formed excellent matter for her predictions ; 
many important occurrences she described very minutely, 
four or five years after the events had taken place, pre- 
tending that the prophesies had been uttered before, but 
that no person had heeded them, — a very convenient 
excuse to make. Her works are written chiefly in 
poetry, some of which may be termed pretty good, but a 
great deal of which is complete stuff, and even that, 
which, as poetry, is good, contains matter far from being 
so. Some of her followers have described her poetry as 
being equal to that of Homer, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, etc., 
but that is certainly overrating her abilities to a wonder- 
ful extent. During the last year or two of her life, her 
mad fanaticism was carried to a much greater extent 
than it had previously been, as she then proclaimed 
herself to be enceinte by the power and influence of the 
divine Saviour of the world. This was certainly carrying 
her blasphemous pretensions to the farthest possible 
extent. She asserted that Christ was not the child 
promised to Eve, in the words of the Almighty, " the 
seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head," etc^ 
but that this prophesy should be fulfilled in the birth of 
the Shiloh of her. She expected to be delivered on the 

b3 



18 



night of the nineteenth of October, 1814, she being thea 
64 years of age. One medical gentleman who saw her 
seems to have been greatly deceived, as he had quite 
satisfied himself that she was with child. But Mr, 
Mathias, the surgeon who attended her, gave her great 
offence, by stating that such was not the case, but that 
all her symptoms resulted from certain diseases, with 
which she was afflicted, which, upon the dissection of the 
body, really turned out to be the case. Her infatuated 
followers, believing in her idle tales and superstitious 
whims, respecting the birth of this child, went to the 
expense of purchasing a silver cradle for the expected 
Messiah. On the evening of the anticipated birth, large 
numbers of people flocked together around her dwelling 
to listen for the tidings of the long talked of result. 
But nothing occurred until the 27th of December 
following, when, instead of being delivered of a child, 
Mrs. Southcott passed out of this world into another. 
Her followers, having had such faith in pretensions, 
could scarcely be induced to believe her dead, nor would 
they consent to bury her, until her body began to be 
offensive, from decomposition, and even then they con- 
signed her to the tomb, with the firm faith that shortly 
she would rise again, and verify all her predictions. But 
she has lain, quiet enough, in the tomb up to the present 
moment, and as she has not risen to give birth to the 
promised Shiloh, her disciples, part of them contend that 
the child was born and caught up to heaven immediately, 
and the others that she meant a spiritual child, and not 
a literal one at all. ~No doubt }^ou will be surprised that 
there should still be found people so weak as to believe 
her silly pretensions, but such is the case, her followers 
being now almost as numerous as ever they were, and 
only about two years since a popular female disciple of 
Johanna, named Mrs. Vaune, went round London, with 
a petition to be presented to the Almighty for the 
binding of the devil, which she stated God would accom- 
plish as soon as there were a sufficient number of names 
enrolled thereon. I do not know the number required, but 
when I saw it there were a great many written upon it, 
Another of the class of Lady Prophets arose in 
Bohemia, named Wilhelmina, and was therefore called 



19 



"Wilhelmina of Bohemia, whose pretensions were nearly 
the same as those of Johanna Southcott. She sueceded 
in making a large number of people believe that the 
Holy Spirit had become incarnate in her, to save a great 
part of the human family, viz. those who did not believe 
in Christianity, such as Jews, Pagans, Mahometans, and 
Infidels, while she confined the merits of Christ's death 
to believing Christians. 

Ann Lee, another female fanatic, who was born in this 
country, but went to America to set up the trade of 
prophesying, made a considerable stir in New York, 
about the year 1776. Like Johanna Southcott, she de- 
clared herself to be the woman spoken of in the twelfth 
chapter of the Revelations of St. John. She professed 
to hold converse with the dead — have the gift of tongues* 
— work miracles — receive communications direct from 
heaven — and taught likewise that she should never die, 
However, her departure from this life completely proved 
the falsity of the last statement, although it did not 
convince her deluded followers that she was an impostor. 

Nearly about the same time that Mrs. Lee was carry- 
ing on her prophetic operations, another female, named 
"Wilkinson, arose in another part of America, with mes- 
sages from God to man. She taught that she had been 
dead, but was restored to life again, and that she posses- 
sed the power of raising the dead. She stated that 
while she was absent from the body, she went to heaven, 
where she received a commission from the Creator to 
preach to the nations on the earth, denouncing eternal 
damnation on all who would not believe in her. She 
also taught that she should live many hundred years, 
and then be translated to heaven without dying. But 
she at last died in spite of all her pretensions, though 
not before she had amassed a large fortune, by means of 
the credulity of the ignorant. Her followers, however, 
were nothing daunted at her death, believing that she 
had only left them, for a short time, to pay a visit to the 
heavenly world, from whence she would again return. 

A few years after this, a woman named Buchan, of 
Glasgow, made nearly the same pretensions, but ulti- 
mately shared the fate of the others, death, and that 
contrary to her predictions. 



20 



Passing over a vast number of other impostors, both 
male and female, who have endeavoured to extort money 
from the pockets of the ignorant and uneducated, with 
the impious blasphemy of " Thus saith the Lord," I will 
just notice two that have arisen in our own country — 
one about sixty years ago, and the other of more modern 
date, being not more than ten years since. 

The first of these is Richard Brothers, who was born 
about the year 1759, and served some years on board a 
man of war ship. "When about thirty years of age, he 
began his prophetic career teaching doctrines very simi- 
lar to those of Johanna Southcott. He prophesied that 
London would be destroyed in 1791, which piece of 
stupid nonsense was believed by almost all his followers, 
•and feared by many who did not openly avow themselves 
believers in his doctrines. However, London stood firm 
enough after the date of its being consigned to destruc- 
tion by the prophet, but this, instead of daunting his 
zeal, actually strengthened it, as be then stated that the 
great city was preserved by his interference and prayers 
to the Almighty for its safety. In the year 1794 he 
published two volumes, entitled A Revealed Knowledge 
of the Prophecies and Times, in which he gave to the 
world his idle pretensions. He discovered that he was 
of Hebrew origin — that his ancestors had been Jews,. 
but had been separated from their race for 1500 years — 
and that he was to be the prince and restorer of the 
Jews, in the course of a very few years. He pretended 
to trace his genealogy so as to make himself nephew to 
Jesus Christ. In one of his visions he saw the King of 
England rise from his throne, and come to meet him, 
delivering to him a most magnificent star. The Queen, 
also, came trembling towards him, which he informs us 
was an indication that he should have entire power over 
the throne of England. In one of his addresses to the 
king, he says, " I tell you, George, King of England, 
that, immediately on my being revealed to the Hebrews 
as their prince, and to all the nations as their governor, 
your crown must be delivered up to me, that all your 
power and authority may instantly cease. 5 ' He attempted 
to bring his wonderful powers, rights, and titles before 
the legislature, by means of a gentleman named Halhed 



21 



a member of parliament, whom he had made a convert to 
his doctrines, but his interference with the governing 
powers ultimately gained him a place in a lunatic asylum 
for the remainder of his life. 

The other person to whom I alluded, was John Nicho- 
las Thorns, who made his appearance in Kent, in the 
year 1838. He pretended to be a prophet, and at one 
time he even declared himself to be the Lord Jesus 
Christ again come to earth. Like most of the others of 
this class, his spiritual gifts seems to have had a very 
strong affinity for temporal powers ; not content with 
being viewed as a prophet of the Most High, or even the 
Son of God, he must endeavour to attain to temporal 
eminence, so he pretended to the ignorant populace that 
a number of estates, belonging to various persons, were 
really his, and must be given up to him. The owners, 
however, not feeling satisfied with the justice of this 
demand, refused to render up to an impostor their right- 
ful possessions. But the soi disant prophet, nothing 
daunted at receiving a denial, but rather stimulated 
thereby, immediately set to work to organize an army by 
which he could go and take by physical force, that which 
he had failed to gain by any other means. He marched 
his men round various small villages in the vicinity of 
Canterbury, making a disturbance wherever they went ; 
and when a constable attempted to quell the riot and 
disperse the mob, he was immediately shot dead by the 
modern Kentish prophet : which bloody deed, he stated, 
was committed by the express will of heaven, revealed 
to him. He informed his followers, that he could point 
his pistols at the stars, and make them fall from heaven ; 
that he could command fire to fall and consume all his 
enemies, and shew various other manifestations of his 
divine power. He promised eternal glory in the world 
to come, to all who received his doctrines and fought for 
him. He stated that he had come from heaven in a 
cloud, and should some day or other return there ; and 
that during the time he was sojourning on earth, neither 
bullets nor swords could hurt him, but he could com- 
mand all who came against him to fail dead at his feet. 
As the mob, led by this mad fanatic, began to be more 
troublesome, it was found necessary to call out the mili- 



22 



tary force to put them down. As soon as Thorns heard 
of the approach of the soldiers, notwithstanding the 
powers lie possessed of making them all fall dead at his 
feet, or destroying them by fire from heaven, he immedi* 
ately armed his men and came against them: but in 
spite of the immortal nature that the prophet had 
received, he was shot through the head and killed. His 
followers, however, could not believe that he was dead ; 
or, if so, that he could by any possibility remain dead, 
but would rise again very shortly, But the bands of 
death, and the powers of the tomb, were forces too strong 
for Thorns to grapple with, in spite of all his pretensions ; 
nor could all his boasted immortality and superhuman 
nature rescue him from the grasp of the iron hand of 
death. He was dead, and dead he remained.^ 

I have given you a brief sketch of the career of several 
individuals who have laid claim to the title of prophet, 
and who have pretended to be in direct communication 
with Deity, to show you that the founder of Mormonism 
was not the only man professing to be divinely inspired. 
The career of Joseph Smith, and his deluded followers, 
present a similar history to those I have just enume- 
rated ; and there is no more evidence of the validity of 
the pretensions of one than the other. 

Viewing the origin and history of Latter-Day Saintism, 
we behold in it nothing of a nature that can by any 
possibility be construed into evidence of its Divinity, 
that will not apply with equal force to the systems of 
each of the eakatics I have mentioned. As, then, we 
are placed in a world where deceit and imposture are 
such well-known characteristics, there can be nothing 
unreasonable in our asking for evidence of the truth of 
any book, system, or doctrine that may be handed for 
our reception. If the Latter-Day Saints can give us 
proofs of the inspiration of the Book of Mormon — the 
divinity of their founder's mission — and the authenticity 
of their religion, which cannot be brought to support 
the systems just referred to, then we are bound by the 
laws of consistency and truth to receive their doctrines 
as true, and it immediately becomes our duty to propa- 

* For a full account of the particulars respecting Thorns and the 
riot headed by him, vide the newspapers of the same date. 



23 



gate them upon all seasonable occasions. Bat if. on the 
contrary, no more evidence can be brought to prove the 
inspiration of the Book of Mormon, than the works of 
Johanna Southcott — the writings of David George — or 
the fanatical productions of Bichard Brothers, then it 
becomes our duty either to reject the whole as impos- 
ture, or to receive them all as Bevelations from God : 
and, if Joseph Smith can give us no more evidence of the 
divinity of his mission than we have been furnished with 
in favour of the pretensions of Munzer, Boccoldt, or 
Muggleton, then let us class Smith with them, and either 
put them all down as deceivers, or receive them into the 
list of true prophets and Apostles. If, in a word, the 
same evidence cannot be furnished of the inspiration 
and authenticity of the Book of Mormon, that we have 
received of the inspiration and authenticity of the Scrip- 
tures of the Old and ISTew Testaments, then it is 
unworthy of our reception. The sacred oracles of truth 
have stood the test of examination for ages and ages. 
Objector after objector has arisen to attempt to disprove 
their truth, and refute the arguments advanced in favour 
of the inspiration of their contents, but all in vain, the 
bible and Christianity have stood unmoved and unshaken 
amidst the downfall of error — the wreck of falsehood — 
the overthrow of scepticism — and the revolution of 
systems of atheism and infidelity. Great social and 
political institutions have given way beneath the weight 
laid upon them. Opposition has hurled even science 
from her throne — philosophy from her seat — and art 
from her pedestal — while Christianity has remained firmly 
fixed upon a foundation which all the united opposition 
of men and demons could not so much as even shake. 
Atheists and infidels, one after another, have strove to 
bring about a downfall of true religion, put the bible out 
of existence, and cause the very name of God to be 
buried in oblivion, and raise new and false systems upon 
the ruins of Christianity. But a few years passed by, 
and the men noted for their learned and clever opposi- 
tions to all that was known by the name of sacred, have 
passed' the way of all flesh; — a few more, and their much 
talked of and boasted systems of improvement and 
reform came tumbling from the imaginary pedestal upon 



24 



which they had been placed by their directors, and were 
crushed to atoms by the force of truth ; — a few more, 
and even their writings were scarcely known, by the 
great majority of the people, to have ever been in 
existence ; while the religion which they vainly sought 
to oppose remains 

Flourishing in eternal youth. 
Could there not have been found good evidence of the 
truth and divine inspiration of the Scriptures, long ere 
this, our world would have been filled with Sceptics — 
peopled with Infidels — and universally inhabited by 
Atheists. All the forces of learning, erudition, and 
science have been twisted and turned, in order to be 
converted into weapons to upset the glorious doctrines 
taught by Christ and his apostles ; and all the sophistry 
and subtilty that human nature could command, have 
been brought to aid in the contest, but in every instance 
Christianity has returned from the field a victor, triumph- 
ing over its greatest opponents and enemies. 

If Mormonism can bear the test of scrutinous investi- 
gation, to which Christianity has been subjected, then, 
indeed, is it worthy of our acceptation as the word of 
God, and it instantly becomes our duty to propagate it 
through the length and breadth of the land. The Latter- 
Day Saints tell us that it will. They inform us that the 
marks of Divinity stamped upon the Book of Mormon 
are as plain to be seen as they are on the Scriptures of 
the Old and New Testaments. However, of course they 
would not wish us to believe it merely because they said 
so, but can have no objection to our examining the mat- 
ter for ourselves, to see whether these things be really 
so or not. Our duty is to investigate ; for this purpose 
it was that a wise and benevolent Creator endowed us 
with reason ; therefore now to the task. 

Before we should think proper to receive as true any 
book professing to be a new Kevelation from Grod, the 
first important feature that would strike us would be its 
authenticity. The questions that would naturally arise 
in our minds would be, By whom was this book written ? 
When was it written ? '"What proofs have we that the 
individual is the author of it whose name it bears ? 
"What evidence has he adduced that the things which he 



25 



states are true, and if they are, What proofs can he bring 
that the book is inspired by the Spirit of Grod, and is 
therefore superior to books in general ? &c. &c. These 
questions applied to the writings bound up and called 
the Bible, can, with the greatest ease imaginable, be 
satisfactorily answered. Let us, then, apply them to the 
Book of Mormon, and by them test its superhuman 
excellencies ; and in doing so we will very briefly examine 
its history, as laid down by the Latter-Day Saints them- 
selves, and see if we can discover any proofs of inspi- 
ration, or even of truth, in the tale they tell us of its 
origin. It was given to the world by Joseph Smith, the 
founder and prophet of Mormonism, but was not written 
by him. Although he frequently received intelligence 
from heaven — communications from the Creator — and 
news from the invisible world, yet this did not come 
direct from Grod to him. Its origin is even still more 
mysterious than that, as you shall presently hear. "We 
will begin with Joseph Smith, and take a glance at his 
first revelations in reference to this book before we speak 
of the book itself It appears that when this self-styled 
prophet was about sixteen years of age, Mr. Lane, a 
methodist preacher, a very talented man, paid a visit to 
Palmyra, in order to preach the gospel and extend the 
Redeemers kingdom. The result was of a most gratify- 
ing nature, vast numbers became convinced of their 
state, and converted from the error of their ways, and 
amongst the rest two brothers, a sister, and the mother 
of Joseph Smith, while himself, according to his own 
account, experienced deep concern for the salvation of 
his soul. Mr. Lane was not a bigot, and therefore did 
not endeavour to sectarianize those whom he had been 
the instrument in calling from darkness to light, but left 
them to join that branch of the Christian church whose 
views they most approved of. Smith's relatives, it seems, 
became Presbyterians, and numbers of others joined the 
Baptist and Methodist churches. Immediately after this 
revival, the Mormonites inform us there was a general 
strife for proselytes, so much so that each particular 
church denounced all the others as hypocritical. This, 
however, I for one do not believe, as it is rather opposed 
to the spirit of the American Christians. It is quite 

c 



26 

possible that the members of each particular church 
looked upon their own doctrines as the most correct, 
but then I am satisfied they exercised a little more 
toleration towards their brethren of other denominations 
than the Latter-Day Saints seem willing to allow. 
However, amongst the whole, Joseph Smith, was wonder- 
fully puzzled to know which church he should join. 
"What method he should adopt to determine the right 
from the wrong he could not think. Had Christ been 
on the earth, he would have sent him to search the 
Scriptures, but this seems never to have entered into 
the future prophet's head. He wanted some other 
means of information respecting spiritual things than 
the Bible ; there the fanaticism and scepticism of his cha- 
racter begin to appear. "Why did he not, when his mind 
was perplexed to know which denomination he should 
unite with, look into the "Word of God and discover there 
the doctrines of Eternal Truth. But no! he wanted verbal 
communications from the awful Majesty of Heaven, and 
accordingly, in answer to his idle wishes and requests, 
G-od sent a special messenger from the Eternal world, 
on the night of the 21st of September, 1823, to inform 
him what he should do. We will take a description of 
this glorious scene from Mr. Oliver Cowdery, one of the 
apostles of Mormonism. He says, On a sudden, a light, 
like that of day, only of a purer and far more glorious 
appearance and brightness, burst into the room, indeed, 
to use his own description, (i.e. Joseph Smith's descrip- 
tion,) the sight was as though the house was filled with 
consuming and unquenchable fire. This sudden appear- 
ance of a light so bright, as must naturally be expected, 
occasioned a shock or sensation visible to the extremities 
of the body. "What a sad pity it is that there was no other 
person present to be an eye witness of this wonderful 
illumination. However, a moment after this a personage 
made his appearance, and stood before the youthful pro- 
phet. Notwithstanding the room was previously filled 
with light above the brightness of the sun, yet there 
seemed to be an additional glory surrounding or accom- 
panying this personage, which shone with an increased 
degree of brilliancy, of which he was in the midst, and 
though his countenance was as the lightning, yet it was 



\ 



27 



of an innocent and glorious appearance. The stature of 
this angel, we are informed by Mr. Cowdery, was a little 
above the common size of men in this age, and his gar- 
ment was perfectly white, and had the appearance of be- 
ing without seam. So much for the description of the 
angel; and now to consider his mission. He came, we are 
informed in the first place, to tell J oseph Smith that his 
prayers were heard, and that his sins were forgiven. 
(Those who can reconcile this with the Scriptural account 
of receiving the knowledge of pardon of sin must do so, 
for I cannot.) And next, to instruct him respecting the 
mysterious plates from which the Book of Mormon was 
to be translated. He informed the prophet that Grod 
was about to work a great work, and that he was the 
chosen instrument to bring it about. He then gave a 
history of the aborigines of America, stating that they 
were literal descendants of Abraham, and had once been 
a very enlightened people. He said a history of them 
was written on plates of gold, and deposited in the earth, 
in a hill called Cumorah, which it was Joseph Smith's 
privilege to go and find and bring to light. It was 
written in another language, but he should be able to 
translate it by means of an instrument called the TTrim 
and Thummim, which was buried with it. This book, 
he said was divided into two parts, one sealed and the 
other unsealed ; the former was to be left a little longer, 
until the people were prepared for it ; and the latter 
was the part now to be translated and given to the 
world. The sealed part, he said, contained the same 
Revelation that was made to St. John on the Isle of 
Patmos (so it was nothing very secret) . He expressly 
said, over and over again, that the bringing to light the 
unsealed part must be done with a single eye to the glory 
of Grod. How far the Mormonitish prophet obeyed this 
injunction will be seen presently. He then gave Mr. J. 
Smith a vision of the place, that he might the better 
know where to go to. After having stayed with him a 
considerable time, the angel took his departure ; however 
he did not stay away long, as he returned twice, we are 
informed, before morning, and again immediately the 
prophet had gone to his work. Surely this angel could 
not be blessed with a very good memory, and therefore 

o2 



28 



forgot Half his message, that he had to come back three 
times. 

Now if you can see any difference between this pre- 
tended vision, and the visions and dreams of the fanatics 
that I have before alluded to, then I have only to say 
that you are blessed with a much keener perception than 
I am, as, to my mind, they all grow from the same root, 
superstition. The tales of the appearances of angels, and 
other heavenly personages, that have been propagated by 
various individuals, whose minds were uninformed and 
unenlightened, and whose dispositions possessed more of 
ambition and selfishness than a love of honour and recti- 
tude, are almost numberless. Nearly all the long list of 
religious enthusiasts that I enumerated, in the former 
part of the lecture, were in the constant habit of seeing 
angels, at least so they inform us. Now can any Latter- 
Day Saint tell us why we should believe Joseph Smith, 
and disbelieve them ? I think he cannot. Indeed there 
is nothing in the character of the Mormonitish prophet 
that would induce us to put much confidence in his 
word. His moral character was not of the most perfect 
kind. Let us hear what he says himself upon the 
subject. His words are, during this time, i. e. from 
the age of ten to twenty-one, as is common to most all 
youths, " I fell into many vices and follies. #n Now, 
bear in mind that these are Joseph Smith's own words, 
and that at this time, when he states that he fell into 
many vices and follies, was at the very period when he 
was exercising his prophetic and priestly functions with 
the greatest zeal. This vision that he tells us he saw 
was seen by no one but himself, and, therefore, how do 
we know that it was seen at all. "We all have it on the 
ipse dixit of Mx. Smith, and on no other authority, even 
the most zealous Latter-Day Saints have no other evi- 
dence, and I am quite satisfied that, if we called upon 
them, to put faith in a similar tale, referring to some 
other person they would not, but would immediately 
reject it. How do we know that the whole tale of the 
appearance of the angel was not a fabrication to deceive 
for selfish purposes. Such a thing, at all events, to say 
the least, is possible, and as I proceed further, I think 
* Joseph Smith's Letter, at the end of Oliver Cowdery's 



29 



I shall be able to show you that in this case it is more 
than probable. 

However, to proceed on with the history of this won- 
derful discovery, I will now give you a description of the 
hill where the treasure was contained, and the golden 
plates, in the words of Mr. Cowdery, from whose letters 
I have before made some quotations : — you are acquaint- 
ed (says he) with the mail road from Palmyra, Wayne Co. 
to Canandaigua, as you pass from the former to the latter 
place, before arriving at the little village of Manchester, 
say from three to four or about four miles from Palmyra, 
you pass a large hill on the east side of the road. The 
north end rises quite sudden, until it assumes a level 
with the more southerly extremity, and I think I may 
say an elevation higher than the south ; a short distance 
say half or three fourths of a mile. As you pass towards 
Canandaigua, it lessens gradually, until the surface 
assumes its common level, or is broken by smaller hills, 
or ridges, water-course, and ravines. Such is a description 
of the hill Cumorah, where the wonderful treasures of the 
Lord were discovered by Joseph Smith. ZSTow for a 
description of the plates, or at least of the manner in 
which they were so carefully deposited, so as never to be 
found until an angel came from heaven to reveal the 
spot where they had been laid. The manner in which 
they were deposited is described by Mr. Cowdery thus, 
first, a hole of sufficient depth was dug (how deep that 
was I am sure I dont know), at the bottom of this was 
laid a stone of suitable size, the upper surface being 
smooth. At each edge was placed a large quantity of 
cement, and into this cement, at the four edges of this 
stone, were placed erect four others, their bottom edges 
resting in the cement at the outer edges of the first 
stone. The four last named, when placed erect, formed 
a box, the corners, or where the edges of the four came in 
contact, were also cemented so firmly that the moisture 
from without was prevented from entering. This box 
was sufficiently large to admit a breastplate such as was 
worn by the ancients to defend the chest. From the 
bottom of the box, or rather the breastplate placed in 
the box arose three small pillars, composed of cement 
like that used in the edges, and upon these laid the 

c3 



30 



golden plates, containing a record of the children of 
Joseph, and of a people who left the tower far before 
the days of Joseph ; or, in other words, these were the 
plates from which the wonderful Book of Mormon was 
translated, the contents of which you shall hear in the 
sequel. This bos was covered over with another large 
stone, the under surface of which was flat, and the upper 
crowning. In reference to this mysterious box, I have 
only to say that it was a very ingenious contrivance. 
Evidently the persons who framed it, whether in the hill 
Cumorah or their own imagination, and the Mormonitish 
Books, were not destitute of inventive faculties. It is 
rather remarkable that this box had not been discovered 
before, especially when we are informed that the crown- 
ing stone was visible above the surface, and that it had 
laid there for the space of fourteen hundred and seven 
years. Strange that no curious, prying, agricultural 
labourer, while travelling over the hill Cumorah, had not 
discovered this stone and endeavoured to get a peep 
beneath it ; or, that young urchins of school boys had 
not played up pranks upon it ; or, that the jolly old 
farmer, of former times, with his mind full of supersti- 
tion, had not removed the stone expecting to discover a 
treasure left there by some covetous and parsimonious 
old miser, who had lived in the age before him. But 
these are mysteries which we must not pry into. Suffice 
it for us to know that Joseph Smith said this stone box 
was there ; and, if we are prepared to become Latter- 
Day Saints, we must be prepared not to doubt his word, 
upon pain of exclusion from the realms of glory, even 
when he talks much more absurdly than this. 

But, to go on with our history, I said that the angel 
paid Mr. Smith a fourth visit,, after he had seen this 
wonderful vision, immediately he had gone to his work 
This was September 22nd, 182S. He came to inform 
him that he must start off instantly, to take possession 
of the plates which, had been buried in the earth so many 
hundred years, and which contained the word and will of 
God, in reference to his Church in the last days. The 
prophet seems to have been rather reluctant to obey the 
injunctions of the angel, as he did not go after the plates 
until he was several times ordered to do so, at least he 



31 



represents that to be the case, but, for my part, I think 
it rather improbable, as the disposition afterwards mani- 
fested by him was very unlike, knowing there were great 
treasures in the earth, without immediately going to take 
possession of them. However at last, when he received 
the fourth command, he did go, and he tells us himself 
that his chief thoughts, as he went, were not the heavenly 
vision that he had seen the night before, and we should 
think he could hardly have forgotten that — not the estab- 
lishing the Church of Christ and his future usefulness, 
and we should think he ought to have thought of that — 
no, these thoughts were far distant from his mind. He 
thought of — what think you — oh ! tell it not in Grath, 
publish it not in the streets of Askelon; his chief 
thoughts were upon the amount of wealth he could amass 
by the golden plates, when he had gained possession of 
them. He was rather a covetous selfish prophet, very 
unlike the Being whom he professed to call Master, who 
thought of every thing before gaining riches, and every 
one's well-being before his own. Well, Mr. Smith at 
last arrived at the memorable hill, and began to undo the 
masonry work in this stone box, thinking all the time 
not of the glory of Grod, as the angel had commanded 
him, but of the riches he might gain by the plates. Lest 
you should think I am judging harshly of him without a 
cause, I will give you the words of one of the priests and 
apostles of his church, Mr. Cowdery. He says, No sooner 
did he (i.e. Smith) behold the sacred treasure, than his 
hopes were renewed, and he supposed his success certain, 
and without first attempting to take it from its long 
place of deposit, he thought perhaps there might be 
something more equally as valuable, and to take only the 
plates might give others an opportunity of obtaining the 
remainder, which, could he secure, would still add to his 
store of wealth. He thought more, you see of mammon 
than of God. He worshipped riches and wealth, with 
more fervour and devotion than his Creator, even accord- 
ing to his own statement, and that after he had been so 
highly favoured of heaven. 

On attempting to take the record a shock was pro- 
duced on his system, by an invisible power, which 
deprived him, in a measure, of his natural strength. 



32 




He desisted for an instant, and then made another 
attempt, but was more sensibly shocked than before. 
]NTow, dreams of whitch craft, magic, and enchantment 
seemed to pass through his mind, and take possession of 
his souL There were the records, why could he not 
take them away ? that was the question, and a question 
which he could not divine ; poor prophet, how forgetful 
must he have been, not to remember that he was not 
obeying the command of Deity, given him by the angel, 
viz., to have a single eye to the glory of G-od. Here 
was a prophet indeed, Well, he made a third attempt 
to take the records, and again was unsuccessful, when, 
in a half frantic angry tone, he bawls out, " why cannot 
I obtain this book ?" (Observe he calls a number of 
golden plates a book.) A voice immediately answered 
him, " because you have not kept the commandment of 
God." He turned round, and there saw the angel that 
had visited him several times before, who now informed 
him of the reason why he had not succeeded, and gave 
him some fresh instructions in reference to his new 
mission. A few minutes after this, he informs us that, 
on turning up his eyes, he saw the devil, and an innume- 
rable train of associates, pass by. So Satan must also 
have had some knowledge of these plates, or he could 
not have come for them. However, the new prophet at 
length succeeded in gaining the records, and kept them 
safe from the clutches of Satan. Oh! Beelzebub, surely 
thou didst not know the contents of these plates, or 
thou wouldst never have sought to prevent their being 
made knosvn to the world, as they have been the means 
of adding many followers to thy ranks, and peopling thy 
domains. They have spread infidelity and scepticism on 
the one hand, and superstition and fanaticism on the 
other ; and thus they have combined into one system 
the greatest extremes of error and falsehood, and united 
together evils that were the antipodes of each other. 

I said, the angel gave the prophet some fresh instruc- 
tions concerning his mission, and so he did ; he disclosed 
some very important secrets. He gave him a sign by 
which he should know that the Lord would fulfil his 
promises concerning the record, by means of him, which 
was that he should be evil spoken of and persecuted. 



33 



What a wonderful sign ! but certainly there needed no 
being to come from another world to tell him that. It 
was a sign that would apply to every p ergon in exist- 
ence, and was therefore not peculiar to the prophet of 
Latter-Day Saintism. All persons have been evil spoken 
of, for some cause or other, and if that were to be estab- 
lished as a proof of a prophet, we should have a vast 
number of prophets besides Joseph Smith. The angel 
next informed him, that when the people were prepared, 
he should return for the sealed part of the record. The 
falsity of this prophecy must be seen by the most super- 
ficial observer, since Smith is now dead, and the sealed 
records are not yet brought to light ; consequently, it 
is quite impossible for him to return to Mount Cumorah 
for them, unless he rise from the dead. When the 
would be prophet invented the false and fabulous tale 
of the appearance of the angel and the discovery of the 
plates, he little thought that he should so soon quit this 
world to enter upon another, and, therefore, he talked of 
those remaining records which he pretended to leave 
until the people were prepared for them ; undoubtedly, 
purposing in his mind to let a few years pass by, and 
then give to the world a little more such stuff as is con- 
tained in the Book of Mormon, calling it a revelation 
from God, translated from the sealed records, or remain- 
ing golden plates, and thereby extorting a little more 
money from those who were so ignorant and credulous 
as to believe him. How remarkably strange it is that 
the prying curiosity of some American sceptic, has not 
led him to the hill Cumorah, to endeavour to find those 
other plates, which the prophet of Mormonism left there. 
Oh ! what an extraordinary amount of credulity is requi- 
site to make a Latter-Day Saint. What curious and 
improbable tales they have to- believe. 

But to return again to Smith, whom we left conversing 
with the angel, at the plate depository, we find that he 
at length took possession of the records, and started off 
home with them ; but he had not travelled far before a 
couple of ruffians waylaid him and attempted to rob him 
of the sacred treasure. One of them struck him with a 
club before he perceived them, but being a strong man 
and large in stature, he succeeded, with great exertion, 



34 



in clearing himself of them. Observe, a strong man and 
large in stature, a boy of seventeen. Surely this pro- 
phet was an extraordinary kind of a being altogether. 
The robbers pursued him, but were unable to overtake 
him, he therefore reached home in safety, with the new 
revelation. Now there is a wonderful mystery in this 
procedure ; I think, a far greater one than we have yet 
seen in the history. The question that would naturally 
arise in our minds, and which I fear we should never be 
able to get any kind Latter-Day Saint to answer satisfac- 
torily, is, How did these men know that a certain man, 
named Joseph Smith, was coming that way with golden 
plates in his possession ? The revelation concerning 
these records had only been made to him by the angel. 
Then how did any other person know ? This circum- 
stance shews us at once that the whole tale was 
fabricated, and that the inventor did not reflect suffi- 
ciently upon the plot of his plan. When I have put 
this question to some of the disciples of Smith, they 
have answered, Oh, the men were robbers who laid wait 
for any person, and as soon as they saw Smith with 
something in his possession, they sought to take it with- 
out knowing what it was. Now that supposition would 
make the tale much more probable. But, unfortunately 
for the Latter-Day Saints, it is in direct opposition to 
the statements of their prophets and apostles, for we 
are informed in the Voice of Warning* (a Mormonitish 
book) that the men came for the express purpose of 
robbing Smith of the records. So you see they must 
have known something about them or they could not 
have planned to steal them. How the statements of 
those who speak untruths do contradict each other. 

We have now traced the proceedure of the great 
modern prophet, or, more properly speaking, impostor 
and fanatic, up to the time of his taking possession of 
the plates ; but as yet we have seen nothing that would 
indicate inspiration and divinity, or even truth. Nothing 
has yet been made manifest at all calculated to convince 
us that the Book of Mormon is the word of Grod, or 
Joseph Smith a prophet of the Most High. The tale of 
the discovery of the plates is so absurd, unreasonable, 
* Page 126. 



35 



and contradictory, that, up to this period of the history, 
we may at all events say, imposture is one of its chief 
characteristics. True, the covering thrown over it is 
rather a serviceable one, but every now and then we see 
the cloven hoofs of the Old Gentleman peeping out from 
under the white robe wrapped round him to give him 
the appearance of an angel of light. 

But you have not yet heard the whole of this very 
mysterious history of these still more mysterious plates. 
Much more remains to be told concerning them; and 
if we intend to judge of the value of the Book by the 
amount of evidence furnished in its history, which I con- 
ceive to be a very reasonable method, then we may justly 
say, with Hamlet 

Thus bad begins, but worse remains behind. 
After the encounter with the robbers, Joseph Smith 
arrived at home with the plates, upon which the angel 
had informed him he should read the mighty trans- 
actions and events connected with the former inhabi- 
tants of America, and the revelations of God, concerning 
the Latter-Day Church. As soon as he reached his domi- 
cile, as a matter of course, he began to inspect the 
records, but soon discovered that the curious hiero- 
glyphics inscribed thereon were quite beyond his power 
to decipher. The language was Egyptian, and the 
education of the prophet had been very limited, and, 
consequently, he could not be supposed to be able to 
read a tongue which only a few of the most learned were 
acquainted with. But difficulties were of no import what- 
ever to him, all obstacles, with the aid of an angel's 
power, could easily be removed ; inspiration could make 
up what education lacked. There was found with the 
records a curious instrument, called by the ancients 
Urim and Thummim, which consisted of two transparent 
stones, clear as crystal, set in two rims of a bow, and 
I with the aid of this it was that Smith translated the new 
revelation, at least so he informs us. A language, 
unknown to him, or indeed to any one else, could easily 
be understood, by means of this pair of magic spectacles. 
! How convenient it would be for many of us, and what 
I time and labour in study it would save us, if some of the 
influential men amongst the Latter-Day Saints would 

i 



36 



lend us, for a short time, these extraordinary eve glasses. 
Oh, what researches methinks I, for one, would make in 
philology were I possessed of such an instrument. How 
I would dive into the literature of nations, which is now 
placed quite beyond my reach, in consequence of my 
ignorance of the languages used. But, ah ! all in vain, 
'tis only a Latter-Day prophet that could be so highly 
favoured of heaven. The TJrim and Thummhn is an in- 
strument too sacred to be used by such sceptics as think 
proper to doubt the truth of the idle tales told by a 
selfish impostor. Such people must gain all their know- 
ledge by hard study ; they find no magic helps or super- 
human aids. Such were only reserved for Joseph Smith. 
But, even with these extraordinary optical glasses, the 
prophet found he lacked one thing essential to a transla- 
tor, he was unable to write. "What a pity he was not 
furnished with a kind of magic pen, one that would write 
of its own accord. But nothing of this kind seems to 
have been provided for him ; he was, therefore, under the 
necessity of employing another person to act as amanu- 
ensis to him. Thus they translated from the golden 
plates, and published the matter in the shape of a book, 
under the pretence that it was a revelation from Grod. 
Tins was the Book of "Morinon, the first edition of which 
was published in the year 1830. 

I have now given you a brief sketch of the history of 
this extraordinary book, as recorded by believers in its 
inspiration, viz., the Latter-Day Saints, and I think all 
must be convinced it is a very mysterious one ; a book 
coming into existence in such a manner is, at all events, 
rather an uncommon circumstance. The annals of 
history furnish us with no parallel, or indeed anything 
analogous to it. It is certainly something new under 
the sun, even as far as book writing is concerned, but 
when we view it as a revelation from God, we are ten 
thousand times more puzzled at the novelty of its origin 
and history. When the ancient prophets and apostles 
wrote by inspiration, it was by the direct and immediate 
influence of the Spirit of God upon their minds, but the 
prophet of modern days discovers his inspired writings in 
stone boxes, buried in mountains and hills. What the 
next thing is that we may expect is beyond the power of 



37 



humanity to divine, after revelations from God springing 
out of the earth, like vegetables in a garden, we are 
certainly prepared for anything. 

But, to keep to the question, the evidence is what we 
have to do with. We want to know whether the tale, 
told by Joseph Smith, respecting these plates, be true or 
false; whether he really did discover a stone box in 
mount Cumorah, containing certain records, or whether 
the whole tale be a fabrication, intended to mislead and 
deceive the people. We have taken a brief glance at the 
history of this discovery, as propagated by the ACormon- 
ites, and in several places we have discovered contradic- 
tions and impossibilities staring us hi the face, so that 
an impartial consideration of it, even as far as we have 
now gone, would seem to convince us that there was no 
truth in the tale of the golden plates, told by Smith. 
But I think, if we look into it more minutely, we shall 
have no doubts whatever on the subject, but shall behold 
falsehood, deceit, and imposture marked in indelible 
characters from beginning to end. In an examination 
of this subject, two questions present themselves to our 
mind, first, had Joseph Smith any plates at all in his 
possession ? And, second, was the writing on these 
plates like that in the Book of Mormon ? Or, in other 
words, is the Book of Mormon a correct translation 
from them '? In answer to the first question, Mr. 
Smith himself tells us that he had the plates, and 
that he found them in the stone box before spoken of. 
But no one saw him take them from this box, and, 
therefore, how do we know that he did, even if he had 
the plates in his possession. But what proof have we 
that there were any plates at all? Who saw them 
besides himself, and what became of them at his death ? 
I turn to the most enthusiastic Mormonite and I ask, 
how do you know that the man whom you call your 
prophet and founder was not a deceiver ? Did you ever 
see those wonderful plates that he talked of so much ? 
The poor deluded being, pinning his faith upon another 
man's sleeve, exclaims, no, I never saw the plates, but 
our priests and elders have. Well, I go to the priest, 
and I ask him the same question, have you ever seen 
these plates ? And what answer do I get, think ye, an 

D 



38 



affirmative one ? Oh, no, certainly not. The Mormon- 
itish priest, who is talking of things enveloped in more 
mystery than the popish priest, and teaching doctrines 
not very nnlike his, as I shall shovr in the next lecture, 
very cunningly and craftily says, no, the plates are in 
America, of course we cannot see them in this countrv. 
Yet he deludes his ignorant followers, by pretending that 
he has seen them, or why do they refer me to him? 
"Well, I leave him, and take a voyage across the Atlantic, 
I arrive at the land where these mighty treasures were 
discovered, and calling around me a number of Latter- 
Day Saints, I put the question to them, and I ask, who 
amongst them have seen these mysterious records r All 
remain mute before me. Not one of them has ever been 
able to catch the most distant glimpse of the plates. I am 
again referred to elders, and from elders to priests, and 
from priests to apostles, and at last, after all my 
searching, I meet with three men who have seen the 
plates. Yes, three men there are who have seen them, 
and upon their assertions rest the faith of the whole of 
the Latter-Day Saints. Now who, I would ask, would 
be fool enough to believe a most absurd tale, like that 
told by Smith, respecting these plates, when only three 
men have ever pretended to see them, and those in- 
terested parties ; men who are extorting money from the 
pockets of their dupes, and whose chief interest is, 
therefore, to deceive. If these plates are in the 
possession of the Latter-Day Saints, then showing 
them would establish, beyond doubt, the veracity of 
their statements, and furnish an unanswerable argu- 
ment against the objector. Is it to be supposed that 
when showing them would prove so much for their 
cause, that they would not do so if they had them. 
Mormonites may believe it if they please, but I cannot. 
Every thinking being will immediately come to the 
conclusion that there are no such plates to be found, 
or they would be forward enough to exhibit them. But 
three men saw them, that is certainly something. But 
just hear their testimony, and then judge how far their 
tale is worthy of credit. They commence : — 

" Be it known to all people, nations, kindreds, and 
tongues, unto whom this work shall come, that we, 



30 



through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord 
Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this 
record, which is a record of the people of Jared, who 
came from the tower of which hath been spoken, and we 
also know that they have been translated by the gift and 
power of Grod, for His voice hath declared it to us, 
wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true, and 
we do testify that we have seen the engravings that are 
upon the plates, and they have been shown to us 
by the power of Grod, and not of men ; and we declare, 
with words of soberness, that an angel of Grod came 
down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our 
eyes ; that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engra- 
vings thereon, and we know that it is, by the grace 
of Grod the Father, and by our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
we beheld, and bear record, that these things are true, 
and it is marvellous in our eyes. Nevertheless, the voice 
of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of 
it, wherefore to be obedient unto the commandments of 
Grod, we bear testimony of these things, and we know 
that if we are faithful in Christ we shall rid our gar- 
ments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless 
before the judgment seat of Christ, and shall dwell with 
him eternally in the heavens." 

This is the testimony of Sidney Bigdon, Oliver Cow- 
dery, and another person, all of them associates of 
Joseph Smith, persons whose interest it was to assert 
that the Book of Mormon was true. But even if we 
take their testimony, it is the most unsatisfactory of 
anything I have ever heard. An angel came down from 
heaven and brought the plates and showed them. So 
after all it was only a vision of the records they had, 
instead of seeing the real plates, which Smith pretended 
to have in his possession. How can it be accounted for, 
that they did not see the plates, which were found in 
the hill Cumorah, especially when we remember that 
Sidney Bigdon was the prophet's amanuensis and assist- 
ant translator. Here is another wonderful novel circum- 
stance staring us in the face, a man helping to translate 
from records which he had never seen, but only had 
a vision of by means of an angel. 

But even if these three men, or a hundred others, 
d2 



40 



whose education was no more extensive than theirs, had 
seen the real plates it would prove but little in favour of 
the truth of the Book of Mormon, for the language 
written on the records was Egyptian, a language of 
which the)' were entirely ignorant, how then should they 
know that the translation had been made correctly. 
They might have seen plates of gold, marked over with 
curious figures, and what would they have been the 
wiser for it. They might have been told by Smith that 
the curious hieroglyphics which they saw were Egyptian' 
characters, and, at the same time, it might not have been 
a language at all, and how should they have known any 
better. Unless some person had seen them who could 
read Egyptian, and then compared the original with the 
translation, and pronounced the one to be a correct copy 
of the other, it proves nothing. ]NTor then, unless that 
person was disinterested. ~We have frequently been 
informed by Mormonitish preachers that a copy of these 
plates, or of the language inscribed upon them, was sent 
round to all the learned men in America for inspection, 
and that they returned it, stating them inability to read 
it. IS'ow if this statement were true it would militate 
against the tale of the plates more than prove it true, 
for surely there were to be found in the whole of the 
new world, some few persons who were acquainted with 
the Egyptian language, and if they could not read the 
language submitted to them, then it proves that it was 
not Egyptian at all. But this statement is not true ; so 
far from a specimen of this language, or a copy of the 
plates, having been sent to all the learned men in 
America, I believe there is not one single individual 
to be found who has ever caught a ghmpse of anything 
of the kind. Why do they not name the persons to 
whom these copies were sent f I knew a gentleman who 
offered a large sum of money for a sight of the plates, or a 
transcript of them, but was refused. 2s ow how was this, 
if they wished the learned to see and judge. They would 
not give him an opportunity of judging. They framed one 
excuse and then another, all of which, to an enlightened 
mind, would say, as plain as possible, " we are deceivers, 
deluding the people ; preaching up whims and follies of 
our own, and declaring thus saith the Lord." 



41 



But this tale of the records is unreasonable, because 
the plates were quite useless and superfluous, unless they 
were given to be shown to the unbeliever, in order to 
convince him of his error, and such use has never been 
made of them. They could not be necessary for Smith, 
to translate or copy from, because he could not read 
them. It was necessary, even with the plates before him, 
that God should communicate to his mind the matter 
written upon them. Why then could not the same 
communication have been made without them, then there 
would have been nothing superfluous about it. Had the 
record been buried in the earth several hundred years, 
and afterwards discovered by some person who could 
read it, the discovery then would have given information 
by natural means, winch, under other circumstances, 
would have required supernatural agency or interference. 
But such was not the case, for Joseph Smith, not 
possessing a knowledge of the language inscribed upon 
the records, required the same supernatural assistance, 
with the plates before him, that he would have done if 
they had been altogether absent, all these considerations 
seem to my mind to tell very strongly against the tale 
attempted to be set up by the founder of Mormonism. 

But there is another fact connected with these plates, 
which I wish to bring before your notice, before I take 
leave of this part of the subject ; a fact which I consider 
will quite upset Smith's tale, and shew it to be impossi- 
ble. We are informed by Mormonitish writers, that 
the plates were in size about seven inches by eight, 
about the thickness of common tin ; and that the whole 
put together measured in diameter about from four to 
six inches. Now two hundred plates of the thickness of 
common tin, would measure five inches ; and the matter 
contained in the Book of Mormon, written in English, 
would fill that number. But the old Egyptian characters 
as is well known to all persons acquainted with them, 
would, according to the manner in which they were 
written at the time when Smith informs us the plates 
were written, take nearly five times as much room as the 
English language, and, consequently, the number of 
plates necessary for the Book of Mormon to be written 
on, would be at least a thousand, which would measure 

3)3 



42 



in thickness two feet instead of from four to six inches. 
In that case too, the weight would be nearly a quarter of 
a ton, a very pretty load for a man to run off with ; and 
to run so fast that two other men intending to rob him, 
and who had nothing to carry, could not overtake him. 

Thus, you see plainly, the tale told by Joseph Smith 
contains in itself the elements and principles of its own 
overthrow, or all the matter necessary to refute it ; and 
I think we have now established beyond the possibility 
of a doubt, after a candid investigation of the history 
of the discovery of these plates, that the whole tale was 
a fabrication, and the originator of it an impostor. 

But these modern pretenders to supernatural gifts 
inform us, that they have other ways of proving the 
Book of Mormon to be of God, than by referring to its 
history. They tell us that the prophets and apostles of 
old predicted the discovery and bringing to light of 
this new revelation ; and that the Scriptures of the Old 
and New Testaments contain various prophecies respect- 
ing the origin and truth of this last communication of 
G-od to man. Now, if such be the case, then the. ques- 
tion is for ever settled, and all controversy concerning it 
at an end ; for should we discover in the writings of the 
prophets and apostles, any indication of the bringing to 
light, in the nineteenth century, a supplement to their 
divine productions, we should immediately begin to look 
more favourably upon any book pretending to be the 
same ; and should we discover, still further, that the 
Book of Mormon was spoken of in language too plain to 
be misunderstood (as the Latter-Day Saints inform us 
it is), then we are bound to receive it, and to venerate 
it with the same devotional feelings that we exercise 
towards the Bible. 

In order to ascertain whether such be the case or not, 
we will examine the passages, one by one, which they 
tell us are prophetic of the discovery of the Book of 
Mormon. In a small work, entitled, The Fulness of the 
Gospel, by Moses Martin, a Mormonitish preacher and 
elder, we are referred to a number. The first is 

Ephesians, i. 10. — That in the dispensation of the fulness of times 
he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are 
in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him. 

Xow there is certainly no reference to the Book of 



43 



Mormon, or, indeed, any other book here. But we will 
look at another. 

Revelations, xiv. 6. — And I saw another angel fly in the midst of 
heaven, haying the everlasting gospel to preach nnto them that dwell 
on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and 
people. 

This passage, like the former, proves nothing in favour 
of the Book of Mormon, for no angel new in the midst 
of heaven with that, as it lay hundreds of years buried 
in the earth ; nor was it a Gospel at all, but an old 
Jewish account of bygone days, even according to their 
own doctrine. But let us view another. 

Acts, iii. 20, 21. — And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before 
was preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive until the 
times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the 
mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 

How this passage can prove anything in reference to 
the new Eevelation, I am at a loss to know, unless the 
Latter-Day Saints mean to tell us that the Book of 
Mormon is Christ, as the passage only speaks of him. 
But again. 

Mark iv. 22. — For there is nothing hid, which shall not be mani- 
fested ; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come 
abroad. 

Before this passage can be said to refer to the making 
manifest the golden plates, we must have a passage to 
prove there were any plates of gold to be made manifest. 
But again. 

32. — But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh 

greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches ; so that the 
fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. 

Do they mean to tell us that the Book of Mormon 
was sown and grew up. If not, why quote this passage. 
But next. 

Daniel, ii. 44. — And in the days of these kings shall the God of 
heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the 
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces 
and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 

If you can see anything in this passage concerning the 
Book of Mormon, or the plates, then you can see clearer 
than I can. It certainly refers to the extension of the 
I Saviour's kingdom and to his millenial reign. But how 
: that can be brought about by the Latter-Day Saints I 
I know not ; and, even if it could, that would have nothing 
] to do with the question at issue, for these passages are 



44 



given to prove the truth of the Book of Mormon and 
that alone. Again. 

Hosea, viii. 11, 12. — Because Epliraim hath made many altars to 
sin, altars shall be unto him to sin. I have written to him the great 
things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing. 

There is not here the most distant allusion to the 
modern prophet and his discovery, unless, indeed, he be 
the Ephraim spoken of, who made the altars to sin ; 
which is certainly" more characteristic of him than any 
thing else that I know. But next. 

Isaiah^ xxiii. 1 — The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish ; 
for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in • from 
the land of Chittim it is revealed to them. 

5. — As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be 

sorely pained at the report of Tyre. 

These passages need no comment. 

Genesis, xlviii. 14. — And Israel stretched out his right hand, and 
laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand 
upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly ; for Manasseh 
was the firstborn. 

22. — Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy 

brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword 
and with my bow. 

No Book of Mormon is spoken of here. But again. 

• xlix. 22. — Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough 

by a well, whose branches run over the wall. 

26. — The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the 

blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting 
hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the 
head of him that was separate from his brethren. 

Unless the Latter-Day Saints mean to tell us that the 
Joseph here spoken of is Joseph Smith, I am sure I can 
see no reason for their quoting these passages ; and 
even then it would not be proving the truth of the Book 
of Mormon. But let us view another. 

Deuteronomy, xxxiii. 13. — And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the 
Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and 
for the deep that coucheth beneath. 

17. — His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his 

horns are like the horns of unicorns ; with them he shall push the 
people together to the ends of the earth ; and they are the ten thou- 
sands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. 

1. Chronicles, v. 1, 2. — Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of 
Israel, for he was the firstborn ; but, forasmuch as he defiled his 
father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son 
of Israel ; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birth- 
right ; for Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the 
chief ruler ; but the birthright was Joseph's. 



45 



Psalm, lxxx. 1,2. — Give ear, Shepherd of Israel, thou that 
leadest Joseph like a flock ; thou that dwellest between the cheru- 
bims, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh 
stir up thy strength, and come and save us. 

Isaiah, xvi. 8. — For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine 
of Sibmah : the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal 
plants thereof, they have come even unto Jazer, they wandered 
through the wilderness ; her branches are stretched out, they are 
gone over the sea. 

Jeremiah, xlviii. 31, 32. — Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I 
will cry out for all Moab ; mine heart shall mourn for the men of 
Kirheres. O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping 
of Jazer ; thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the 
sea of Jazer ; the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon 
thy vintage. 

JSzehtel, xxxvii. 16. — Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one 
stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel 
his companions : then take another stick, and write upon it, For 
Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his com- 
panions. 

20. — And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine 

hand before their eyes. 

Isaiah, xxix. 3. — And I will camp against thee round about, and 
, will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against 
thee. 

■ 5. — Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like 

small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff 
that passeth away ; yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. 

11, 12. — And the vision of all is become unto you as the 

I words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is 
learned, saying Head this, I pray thee : and he saith, I cannot, for 
it is sealed : and the book is delivered to hiin that is not learned, 
saying, Read this, I pray thee : and he saith, I am not learned. 

If the latter part of this passage was intended to be 
taken literally still it could not refer to the Book of 
I Mormon, as the plates, which they tell us were read by 
I the unlearned and not by the learned, as I have said 
' before, were never submitted to the learned. But the 
J prophet does not say there ever was or ever would be 
such a book, but merely making a comparison, says, the 
vision is become to them like such a thing. And, again, 
it is not stated here that the book was read by the un- 
learned, but an intimation given to the contrary, as he 
. seemed to raise a kind of objection when asked to do so, 
v saying, I am unlearned. But let us turn to another, 
j Hebrews, i. 2, 3. — Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his 
/Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he 
J made the worlds ; who being the brightness of his glory, and the 
^express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of 



46 



his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the 
right hand of the Majesty on high. 

Isaiah, xl. 8. — The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the 
word of our God shall stand for ever. 

But the Book of Mormon not being the word of God 
shall wither as the grass and fade as the flowers. Next. 

Psalm, Ixxxv. 11. — Truth shall spring out of the earth; and 
righteousness shall look down from heaven. 

Never, I think, did I behold any persons misapply the 
Scriptures to such an extent before : to assert, that 
because the Psalmist, rejoicing in God, exclaims out of 
the abundance of his heart, Truth shall spring out of the 
earth and righteousness shall look down from heaven, — 
meaning, that the people on earth should rejoice in the 
truth and the righteousness of God, and the blessings of 
God shall be poured out upon them for so doing, as may 
be seen by the former verse — that a new revelation 
should be found in the interior of the earth, like geolo- 
gical fossils ; or springing therefrom, like herbs and 
vegetables. When men have false notions to propagate, 
what straws and trifles do they lay hold of to help them 
on. But we are referred to another verse in the same 
Psalm. 

13. — Righteousness shall go before him ; and shall set us 

in the way of his steps. 

Psalm, cxix. 142. — Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteous- 
ness, and thy law is the truth. 

151. — Thou art near, O Lord ; and all thy commandments 

are truth. 

John, xy\1. 17. — Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is 
truth. 

And I think we may add, as sure as the word of God 
is truth, so sure is Mormonism falsehood. 

We have now examined the various passages of Scrip- 
ture, which Moses Martin has referred us to in proof of 
the inspiration of the Boo^: of Mormon ; and I think 
never was any controversial writer so unfortunate in his 
selection, for not one of them has the most distant allu- 
sion to the subject. Nothing is to be found in the 
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments at all indica- 
ting the discovery of another revelation. Everything 
written there would lead us to the conclusion that the 
Divine Oracles were perfect without any addition being 
made to them ; and that the last dispensation, Christia- 



47 



nity, brought with it the last revelation of Grod's will to 
man — the writings of the Evangelists and Apostles. 

Saint Paul has endeavoured to guard us against these 
pretenders to divine inspiration, telling us that if even 
an angel from heaven should come and preach any other 
doctrines or any other gospel, than that which he taught 
us, we were to reject both the doctrine and the preacher; 
and the latter, in addition to our rejection, should receive 
the anathema or curse of Grod : and St. John concludes 
his book by saying that he who attempted to add to the 
Scriptures, Grod should add unto him the plagues written 
therein. God has never before given a new revelation 
without establishing a new dispensation ; and unless the 
Mormonites can shew us that Christianity is not the last 
dispensation, they must never attempt to prove that the 
writings of its first promulgators were not the last 
inspired records to be given to the world. 

I think by this time you must all be well convinced 
i that the Book of Mormon is a delusion — the tale of the 
golden plates a falsehood — Joseph Smith a deceiver — and 
the Latter-Day Saints, poor infatuated beings, led away 
I by the idle pretensions of an imposing knave, and de- 
serving the pity of all mankind. But the question that 
would naturally arise in the minds of most persons now 
would be, if the Book of Mormon was not translated 
from the records spoken of by Smith, then who was its 
author, and for what end and purpose was it written ? 
This question I will endeavour to answer as briefly as I 
can, which must bring this lecture to a conclusion. 
; The first idea that would naturally strike our minds 
; would be that Joseph Smith wrote it himself. But upon 
» investigation of the contents of the Book, we find, 
i although no evidence of anything like truth, yet some 
I very romantic and ideal representations, making it not a 
j badly written fiction, and, from what we can glean of the 
I character of the Mormonitish prophet, we must at once 
pronounce him incompetent to be its author, or indeed the 
author of anything else that could lay the least claim to 
; common sense. But we need not remain puzzled, as to 
; who was its author, very long, for plenty of witnesses 
j are to be found who can easily set us right upon* this 
» subject. 



4S 



In the year 1812 there lived at New Salem, North 
America, one Key. Solomon Spaulding, who a few rears 
before had left the church to enter into some kind of 
business, but had failed, which brought on pecuniary 
embarrassment, and likewise at times slight mental de- 
rangement. Partly to relieve himself in some measure 
from his present distresses, and partly to amuse himself, 
or gratify his peculiar turn of mind, he thought of com- 
posing a kind of religious romance. It occurred to him 
that the lost tribes of the house of Israel would form an 
excellent foundation for him to work upon, and, to make 
the subject more exciting, he could connect them with the 
mounds of North America, which were at that time pro- 
ducing a considerable degree of excitement and interest. 
In carrying out his plan, he considered that he could 
make the impression more forcible by writing in the old 
Hebrew style of composition, which he was well compe- 
tent to do, having been many years a clergyman, and had 
therefore made the ancient literature of the Jews a sub- 
ject of frequent study. After this novel was completed, 
the author removed from New Salem to Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania, and while here he took the manuscript to a 
printer, named Patterson, where it was left for a consi- 
derable time, perhaps to arrange for publication, but, 
however, it was ultimately returned unpublished. Du- 
ring the time the manuscript was in the hands of the 
printer, Sidney Eigdon, whom I have spoken of before 
as being the intimate friend of Joseph Smith, his 
secretary and pretended assistant translator, and also 
one of the apostles of the Latter-day Church, was work- 
ing as journeyman for Patterson, which gave him an 
excellent opportunity for copying out its contents. After 
this, however, Mr. Spaulding took his manuscript romance 
to another printer, named Lamdin, of whom Mr. Sidney 
Eigdon (I suppose not having finished his task,) took 
occasion to borrow it. Shortly after this the author died, 
and, very soon after his decease, the death of Lamdin 
followed, leaving the novel still unpublished, and perhaps 
yet in the hands of Eigdon. However, be that as it 
may, whether he had the original or not, it is pretty 
evident that he had a copy, which he had taken verba- 
tim from it. It now being certain, or almost certain, 



49 

that this romance would never be published, this journey- 
man printer began to reflect as to how he might turn it 
to the best advantage. Accordingly he consulted his 
friend Joseph Smith, and the two together considered 
that an excellent way to enhance their wealth would be 
to attempt to palm a new revelation on the public. The 
work in question being well suited to their purpose in 
this respect, they revised it, altering and omitting those 
portions which they considered necessary, and occasion- 
ally making some short additions, and published it as the 
word of Grod, in the year 1830. As they knew they were 
liable to be questioned as to where this revelation had 
been so long, they invented the tale of finding it in the 
earth ; and the objections they knew they would meet 
from paper being so long preserved, they considered 
could all be avoided by saying that it was written on 
plates of gold. 

That this was the real origin of the Book of Mormon, 
is not mere conjecture, as we have plenty of evidence 
' that the novel of the Rev. Solomon Spaulding and the 
modern Bible are identically the same. A number 
of the inhabitants of that part of the country, including 
several friends of the Bev. gentleman have informed us 
that they remember hearing him read it when in manu- 
script, as a kind of religious romance, and that the 
names, characters, events, circumstances, etc., were 
exactly the same as those in the Book of Mormon. 
After a stir had been made about it in America, the Bev. 
Mr. Storms, a clergyman of Holleston, in Canada, 
desirous of ascertaining the real truth of the matter, 
wrote a letter to Mrs. Spaulding, (or now Mrs. Davidson, 
for she has married again,) to inquire if she knew any- 
thing concerning it. She returned an answer, stating 
. that unquestionably the pretended revelation was printed 
from her husband's copy. What better evidence than 
| this do we want. Is Mrs. Davidson's word most worthy 
| of credit, or Joseph Smith's and his coadjutor, Bigdon. 
j One of them must state falsehoods, which is it, Mrs. 
Davidson or Smith ? Bor my own part, I can see no 
j reason why the lady should make a false statement, but 
there are plenty of reasons why Smith and Bigdon 
!j should, as they are interested parties. But, to settle the 

E 



50 



question, we will look at each of their characters. Dr. 
Ely of Monson, and a gentleman named Austin, (the 
principal of Monson Academy,) have given their testi- 
mony that Mrs. Davidson now lives at Monson, and is a 
pious Christian lady, bearing a high moral character, and 
would certainly say nothing but what is true. Now are 
the characters of Smith and his associates as good ? If 
they were I for one should hesitate before I called them 
impostors. But when we have the testimony of persons 
who have known them for years and all their life time 
that they were destitute of moral character and rectitude, 
we must begin to expect to find them capable of almost 
everything bad. In the year 1833, a declaration was 
signed by a number of the influential, respectable, and 
religious inhabitants of Palmyra, which shows us what 
kind of people the Smiths were. It is as follows. 

" Palmyra, jST. Y. Dec. 4th, 1833. 
" We, the undersigned, having been acquainted with 
the Smith family for a number of years, while they resided 
near this place, have no hesitation in saying that we 
consider them destitute of that moral character which 
ought to entitle them to the confidence of any commu- 
nity. They were particularly infamous for visionary 
projects, spent much of their time in digging for money, 
which they pretended was laid in the earth, and to this 
day large excavations may be seen in the earth not 
far from their residence, where they used to spend their 
time in digging for hidden treasures. Joseph Smith, 
senior, and his son Joseph (i.e. the pretended prophet,) 
were in particular considered entirely destitute of moral 
character, and addicted to vicious habits. Martin Harris 
(another of the apostles of Mormonism,) had acquired a 
considerable property, and, in matters of business, his 
word was considered good, but on moral and religious sub- 
jects he was perfectly visionary, sometimes advocating one 
sentiment and sometimes another. In reference to ail 
with whom we are acquainted, that have embraced 
Mormonism from this neighbourhood, we are compelled 
to say that they were visionary, and most of them desti- 
tute of moral character, and without influence in the 
community. This is the reason why they were permitted 
to go on with their imposition undisturbed. It was not 



51 



supposed that any of them, were possessed of sufficient 
character or influence to make any one believe their 
Book or their sentiments, and we know not a single 
individual in this vicinity who puts the least confidence 
in their pretended revelations."^ 

This important declaration was signed by fifty-one 
respectable persons, who had known Smith and his asso- 
ciates for years. The inhabitants of various other towns 
and villages made similar statements. Who then after 
this can give heed to the idle pretensions of such men; 
especially when we remember that Smith has given us 
his own testimony that he fell into many vices, which 
statement exactly coincides with the Palmyra declara- 
tion. JS T or were the friends of the modern prophet more 
favourable to him than those who drew up and signed 
the declaration just referred to. His father-in-law has 
affirmed, upon oath, that he believes the whole Book of 
Mormon to be a fabrication of wickedness and falsehood, 
got up for speculation, and with the design of duping 
the credulous and unwary ; in order that its fabricators 
might live upon the spoils of those who swallowed the 
delusion. To those who cannot see what end these pre- 
tenders to divine inspiration could have in view by 
practising such a base and abominable imposition, I 
would just say hear and reflect on some of the wonderful 
revelations made to this modern prophet. This one for 
instance, given from heaven to Joseph Smith, at Kirk- 
land, Ohio, February 4th, 1831 : It is meet that my 
servant, Joseph Smith, should have a house built, in which 
he is to live and translate.f Now I am sure it would be 
very convenient for many of us to receive such revela- 
tions as that, if we could only make the people believe 
them and act upon them. Again, it is meet that my 
servant, Sidney Bigdon, should live as seemeih him good. 
This, I think, is unequalled in all the annals of history. 
We find the great impostor of the East, Mahomet, on 
one occasion, taking Zaina, the wife of one of his slaves, 
to himself; and no soooner was he reproved by his disci- 
ples for doing so, than he pretended to receive a revela- 
tion from G-od, informing the people that Zaina was 

* Professor Turner's Rise and Progress of Mor monism. 
t M Menial Star y page49» 
E 2 



52 



given to him by the will of heaven, and that he ought to 
have married her before. But Mahomet is certainly 
outdone by Sidney Bigdon, who has been informed by a 
revelation from God, that he may do anything he pleases ; 
and if the Arabian impostor were now on the earth, I 
have no doubt but there would be a rivalship of prophets, 
and each would be jealous of the other's spiritual commu- 
nications, and wicked and extravagant liberties. 



LECTURE II. 



In my last Lecture I gave a brief sketch of the origin of 
the Latter-Day Saints, and the pretended discovery of 
the golden plates by the soi disant prophet, J oseph Smith, 
shewing that the tale told by him was absurd, contradic- 
tory, and impossible. This evening I purpose, first to 
draw aside the veil, in reference to the contents of the 
modern revelation, and shew that the matter there written 
is unworthy the authorship of the Spirit of Grod, or even 
of a sensible man, at least if he means it to be taken as 
truth, or a faithful narrative of facts and realities ; and 
afterwards investigate the pretensions and doctrines of 
these deluded people, and shew that the former are 
groundless, and the latter unscriptural and false. 

As yet we have said nothing about the contents of this 
extraordinary book, nor attempted to draw any evidence 
of its truth or falsity from the circumstances and trans- 
actions there narrated. All our considerations have been 
upon the external part of the subject, or an investigation 
of the tale told us of its origin and history, and a review 
of the various passages of Holy "Writ said to be prophetic 
of its appearance. Now we intend to penetrate into 
more hidden recesses, to open the book, and investigate 
the nature of Grod's last revelation of his will to the hu- 
man race, with the firm belief that if it be the word of 
Grod, we shall there discover matter superior to anything 
that could have been written by finite and fallible man, 
and of which Grod alone can be the author. It is the 
glory and boast of Christians, that they can point to the 
contents of the New Testament, and exclaim with an air 
of triumph over infidels and objectors to the writings of 
the Evangelists and Apostles, Surely never were precepts 
so pure, doctrines so good, nor morals so holy. "We can 
refer the sceptic and deistical admirer of old heathen 
philosophy to the words of the Eedeemer and his Apos- 
tles, as revealed in the divine oracles, and ask, "Was 

E 3 



54* 



anything like this ever found written in the "works of 
ancient moralists, or heard to fall from the lips of modern 
professors of ethics who reject the Bible. So if the Book 
of Mormon be the word and will of the same Being, 
revealed from heaven, we may expect to find that its con- 
tents are similar in their nature and tendency ; nay more, 
even superior, or we should not need it, for every new 
covenant that Grod has made with his people, and every 
additional revelation that he has given of his will to man- 
kind has been superior to the former one. When the 
fulness of time was come, that Grod sent forth his Son to 
establish the Christian dispensation, how pure and hea- 
venly were the doctrines he taught, and the precepts he 
inculcated, to those which had been revealed in the old 
Jewish law. A new commandment, said he, I give unto 
you, that ye love one another ; and it hath been said, 
Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy, but 
I say unto you, Love your enemies. He came to estab- 
lish a superior dispensation, to give a better law, and 
teach more perfect doctrines. So the Book of Mormon, 
coming nearly two thousand years after the last inspired 
records, if it be a revelation of Grod's will, must contain 
doctrines and precepts even superior to those contained 
in the New Testament. To discover whether such be 
the case or not, let us take a brief glance at the contents 
of this novel Book. 

In the Book of Mormon, we find a history or rather 
two distinct histories of the former inhabitants of Ame- 
rica, one, of the Nephites, said to be a branch of the 
tribe of Joseph ; and the other, of the J aredites, a peo- 
ple who went to America at the period of the building of 
the tower of Babel. The statements made, however, 
respecting either, shews the writer to have been as igno- 
rant of Ethnology, or the doctrine of the human races, 
as of religion and Bible writing. The history of the 
Nephites occupies the first portion of the Book, they are 
said to have been led from Jerusalem to America, under 
the guidance, or direction, or command of JSTephi, who it 
seems was a prophet of God. They journeyed from one 
place to the other under very peculiar circumstances and 
for a very peculiar purpose. The end they had in view 
it seems in going to America, was to escape the judge- 



55 



ments of God, with which the Jews were threatened in 
the Reign of Zedekiah. "We have heard almost every 
thing said that can be said in praise of America, but this 
is the first time we ever heard of its being out of the 
reach of the judgements of Grod. Surely this may be 
considered an additional and a very powerful argument 
in favour of emigration. But curious as' was the end 
they had in view in making this extraordinary journey, 
not less curious were the circumstances under which it 
was performed. Lehi and his four sons, the younger of 
which was Nephi, their prophet and captain, and Ishmael 
and his daughters, who were married to the sons of Lehi, 
started off from Jerusalem to the new world ; but going 
away rather in a hurry they forgot to take with them the 
wonderful golden plates, which at that time were their 
property, but were in the possession of one Laban a rela- 
tive. As soon, however, as they missed then treasures, 
Lehi sent his son Nephi back to procure them. As he 
retraced his footsteps to the city of Jerusalem, before he 
reached Laban' s home he met the old man and demanded 
of him the plates. But Laban not feeling disposed to 
part with anything so valuable, refused to return them. 
JNephi being determined to possess himself of them, 
either by fair means or foul, and observing that Laban 
was intoxicated, instantly rushed upon him and, drawing 
the old man's sword from the scabbard, cut off his head 
with it. This is the first act recorded in the Book of 
Mormon, of the man whom the Latter-Day Saints inform 
us was a prophet of G-od — a good man — and a great 
writer of inspiration. ~Nor was this all, for the writers 
of this Book were not content with making their hero a 
murderer, but had the audacity to charge it upon Grod ; 
for they tell us that the Spirit of Grod instigated Nephi 
to take advantage of Laban' s drunkenness and murder 
him. Whether this be most like inspiration or blasphe- 
my I will leave you to be the judges. But to proceed 
with this history. The plates were at Laban' s house, and 
Nephi had met him and killed him in the field, so that 
there was still some difficulty in obtaining them, as 
Laban had servants at home, who were of course com- 
manded to keep them safe. But a man who could be 
guilty of such a base, wicked, and cowardly act as to take 



56 



advantage of a fellow creature's drunkenness to murder 
him, would soon invent some vile and hypocritical plan 
to carry out his design. Such was the case with Xephi ; 
He stripped oft all the clothes from the dead body of 
Laban, and dressed himself in them, and assuming the 
old man's voice, went to his house, and by that means 
obtained the plates from the servants. Here was a cha- 
racter for a prophet. A murderer and one of the basest 
of hypocrites. Had we discovered the history of such a 
personage in some prison calendar, or in the annals of 
crime, we should not have experienced much surprise ; 
but when we find it in a book which Ave are informed is 
inspired of God, and the very deeds which make huma- 
nity shudder, attributed to the Spirit of the Most High, 
so that the Being whom we have viewed as the origina- 
tor of all good, is made the author of crimes the most 
appaling and horrible, we are unable to express, or even 
to comprehend the audacity and blasphemy of the writers 
of such a Book, or the framers of such a system. Oh t 
Mormonism, if this be the character of thy prophets, and 
the nature of thy inspired records, may we ever be pre- 
served from such, and retain that old form of Christianity 
which teaches us that Grod is love, and that all who would 
gain his favour, must act towards each other from the 
pure principle of affection. What a contrast we find 
between the New Testament and the Book of Mormon, 
even in turning over the first leaf and glancing at the 
very commencement of the history contained therein. 

After Xephi had obtained the plates he returned into 
the wilderness to his friends, where he had left them, 
and compelled Laban' s servant to accompany him ; but it 
seems he forgot to change his dress, and, therefore, went 
back clothed in the garments which he had stolen from 
the murdered man. As soon as his brethren saw him, 
supposing it was Laban, they were affrighted and terri- 
fied and fled away. Now why they should have been so 
wonderfully afraid of Laban we are not informed, but 
perhaps they had robbed him before, and so thought that 
he was pursuing them, in order to obtain his property 
from them. However, Nephi soon convinced them that 
their fears were groundless, as they were mistaken in the 
personage, so he again joined their company, and they 



57 



pursued their journey together, and a novel journey it 
was, as you shall presently hear. We are next informed 
that they lived in this wilderness for the space of eight 
years, procuring sustenance by means of their bows and 
arrows. As they prosecuted their journey onwards 
towards America, through this desert, they were 
guided by a compass, which directed them which way 
to pursue their course. Xow this simple statement 
overthrows the whole of the tale told by the Latter- 
Day Saints, respecting the antiquity of this history, 
for it proves clearly that the individual who wrote it 
was acquainted with the scientific discoveries of modern 
times. It was thousands of years after the time that 
they tell us these people travelled through the wilder- 
ness, in their journey from Jerusalem to America, before 
the compass was discovered. How then could they, by 
any possibility, have been guided by one, Surely when 
Smith and Eigdon revised the Book of "Mormon they did 
not observe this passage, or they would have erased it, 
Such is the kind of evidence we shall receive of the truth 
of this Book by investigating its contents-. 

But, to go on with the history of these adventurers, 
they travelled on towards America until they came to 
the sea side, and here, as a matter of course, they were 
compelled to stop, as they had no vessel by which they 
could cross over the ocean, Here was a greater diffi- 
culty to be overcome than that of going back to procure 
the plates from Laban, as a murder and a piece of sur- 
reptitious hypocrisy soon accomplished that, but no 
master of a vessel was now to be seen that they could 
murder and take possession of his ship, and in this way 
reach the promised land of America. Therefore what 
was to be done. Nephi it seems, nothing daunted at 
the appearance of obstacles, soon found out a way of 
removing them, let them be as great as they might. He 
set to work to make a ship, and, in a very short time, 
a vessel was completed, capable of wafting them over the 
billows and waves of the mighty deep. Where he got 
the tools to work with is another puzzling question 
for the Mormonites to answer. His knowledge, they tell 
us, he received by divine inspiration ; miracle working is 
always the hobby upon which they saddle everything 



58 



that appears mysterious and objectionable, so perhaps ai 
angel brought some tools from heaven, to enable th- 
prophet to complete his work, but, be that as it niiglr i 
we are informed that he built the ship, and, after he dor . } 
so, had a very great difficulty in getting his brethren o 
board. I suppose they were afraid that their captain 
Vessel was not very safe, that they were so reiuctar 
to trust themselves upon it. However, at last JNepl 
prevailed upon them, and they brought their gooc 
and provisions into the ship, and, having a fair win. 
they set sail for America. After they had sailed a sho 
distance, Nephi's brethren began to grow jealous of h 
supernatural abilities, and became enraged with him, aJ 
confined him down in some place in the ship, and treatf I j 
him very cruelly. As soon as they did so a dreadf 
storm arose — the wind became boisterous and adverse- 1 
the sea rolled high — the compass ceased to work — ar 
the ship was in danger of sinking. This storm last( I 
four days, which made them wonderfully afraid, and the 
thinking it was a judgment of God upon them, went ai | 
loosed JNTephi, and requested him to pray to God for the 
safety. He instantly arose and complied with ther 
request, and the storm subsided — the sea became earn. 
— the wind favourable— the compass began to work — 
and they sailed on again for the happy country, where 
they at last arrived in safety, after many dangers and 
a long voyage. 

They then settled in the south west of America, where 
they lived, not in harmony and peace as we should have 
expected they would, but in continual discord. They 
quarrelled and fought one with the other, until their 
race became nearly exterminated. Those who were left 
became Christians, and worshipped God according to 
gospel ordinances, four hundred years before the birth 
of Christ. JNTow this is a wonderful curious circumstance, 
a nation worshipping God according to gospel ordinan- 
ces, and becoming Christians four hundred years before 
the birth of Christ. So, according to this, when the 
Saviour made his appearance on our earth he did not 
come to establish the Christian dispensation, as that had 
been established four hundred years before. The doc- 
trines which he taught, then, were not original, as they 



59 



ad been taught hundreds of years before, and the form 
f worship established by him was not his own, as some 
•erson or other had made it manifest to the Nephites 
mg before he paid a visit to this our lower world. Those 
rho can reconcile these statements with Christianity, 
nd the teachings of the New Testament, must do so for 
cannot. 

During all this period, they had a number of prophets 
mongst them. After the death of Nephi, others arose 
a his place, and at their deaths others, each of which 
rcote down the events that took place in connexion with 
he tribe during their lifetime. All these writings were 
, afterwards collected by Mormon and buried in the earth, 
rhere they were found by Joseph Smith. Each prophet 
aakes it a special part of his mission to predict the 
uture coming of Christ, which prophecies, however, 
.istead of proving the history true, have stamped it with 
he mark of falsehood, for, in speaking of the Saviour, 
hey have used the term Christ, which every one knows 
i a Greek word, signifying The Anointed, and could not 
possibly have been known to the JNephites, even if there 
#ere such a people in existence, for they were Hebrews, 
rani had never had any communication with the Greeks. 
This is another proof that the writer of the history lived 
in modern times. 

After the death, resurrection, and ascension of the 
Redeemer, he paid the tribe of the Nephites a visit in 
America, and two thousand five hundred of them put 
their hands into the prints of the nails and the wound 
in his side ; so, according to this tale, Thomas was not 
the only person whose unbelief had to be conquered in 
this peculiar way. He then baptized them, which is 
another important piece of information, for the Scriptures 
inform us that Jesus himself baptized not, even while on 
the earth, to say nothing of his coming from heaven after 
his ascension. But here the new revelation is not only 
unreasonable, but clashes with the statements of Holy 
Writ. 

After this, we are informed that the Nephites lived a 
little more peaceably than they had done before, there 
being a great number of Christians amongst them ; and, 
in the year thirty-six, the whole tribe became converted 



60 



to G-od. Then they had a community of goods, and lived 
for nearly two hundred years without any fighting, quar- 
reling, or disputing. Eut after this they again became 
very captious, and manifested towards each other an im- 
perious spirit, instead of love and forbearance. They 
then quarrelled and fought many more bloody battles, 
till, in the course of a few years, every thing like religion 
had entirely left them, except in connexion with two or 
three apostles who were never to die, and who were 
seen alive four hundred years after Christ, though what 
became of them after that no one knows, bat, I suppose, 
like some of the prophets I mentioned in the last Lec- 
ture they died. 

We have then an account of other battles, disputes, 
and divisions, where tho chief delight of these people 
seem to have been the butchering their fellow-creatures ; 
but I have not time to enter more minutely into the his- 
tory of this race, suffice it to say, that the Eed Indians of 
America, are represented to be their lineal descendants, 
or of the tribe of Nephi. JNTow every mere novice or 
tyro in the history of races, knows that such cannot 
possibly be the case, for various reasons ; and, perhaps, 
none more forcible and strong than that of their form 
and colour. A greater contrast could scarcely be found 
between any two races of men, than between the Jews 
and the Eed Indians. Every person who had examined 
them, would immediately come to the conclusion that 
they were not both descendants from the old patriarch 
Jacob. 

Eut we will leave the Xephites, and turn to another 
race of people which were discovered by them in America, 
after they arrived there. These are called the Jaredites, 
and their adventures are certainly more wonderful and 
"unreasonable than those of Lehi and his family. These 
Jaredites started off for America at the time of the 
building of the tower of Eabel, in the erection of which 
they seem to have assisted. When Grod confounded the 
language of those who had been so presumptuous as to 
attempt to place themselves beyond the reach of his 
power and divine vengeance by mere human art, this 
Jared and his family, although engaged in the same 
work, and, consequently, meriting the same divine dis- 



61 



pleasure, were more highly favoured than the rest of 
their associates, for we are informed that they escaped 
without having their language confounded. They then 
directed their course to the land of America, I suppose, 
like the Nephites, they considered that country beyond 
the power of the judgments of Grod. But at this early 
age they had no compass to guide and direct them which 
way to prosecute their journey, and so we are informed 
they were taught of God. The Spirit of the Almighty 
was infused into their minds and guided them in the 
right direction for the land of peace and safety. Well, 
they went on through the wilderness without any very 
great difficulty ; but there was the sea to cross over, and 
like the family of Lehi, they had no vessel in which they 
could sail. To remedy this they were commanded by 
Grod to build eight barges, the construction of which, 
being of such a peculiar kind, deserves a little considera- 
tion. These barges were made air tight, and something 
of the form of ducks. There was a hole at the bottom 
to admit the water, and another at the top to admit the 
.air, and they could swim above the water and dive under 
the water, with the same degree of ease. They may 
certainly be considered superior to our modern life boats'; 
and if the Latter-Day Saints would only inform us very 
minutely how they were made, I think society would be 
very grateful for the discovery ; although, how the indi- 
viduals on board could breathe, when the vessel was 
diving under the water, I have not yet learnt, as there* 
was a hole at the top to admit air, which would then 
exclude the air and admit the aqueous fluid. But I sup- 
pose this impossibility, like all the others, is got over on 
the ground of a miracle. However, these were the kind 
of vessels which Grod commanded them to build. There 
were also sixteen windows, two in each vessel, made of 
molten stones, which Grod touched with his fingers and 
they immediately became transparent, so as to admit 
light to those who were inside the wonderful diving ships. 
These vessels were certainly much superior to Nephi's, 
as there was no danger of either their sinking or going 
wrong. They were directed not by a compass but by the 
power and influence of Jehovah. After they had sailed 
a considerable distance, the Saviour appeared unto them, 

F 



62 



and said, Behold, I am Jesus Christ ; I am the Father 
and the Son. Here we again find the writer betraying 
himself, and proving clearly that he lived in much later 
times than those he would make us believe, for, suppos- 
ing the Redeemer had appeared to them and made use of 
the terms Jesus Christ, how should they have known 
what he meant, as the words are Greek. But the ques- 
tion is, how could Moroni, or Mormon, the supposed 
writers of these histories understand Greek, as they had 
never had any communication with that nation ? They 
could not; and, therefore, it clearly proves that some 
other person was the real author, and that he lived 
in a much later age. For in addition to the words Jesus 
Christ, which appear hundreds of times in the Book, in 
their Greek form, and not as the Hebrews would have 
said, for Jesus, Joshua, and for Christ, Messiah, we find 
a number of other words, which clearly prove the fact. 
Sometimes we find the writer talking of Alpha and 
Omega, which are the first and last letters of the Greek 
alphabet. How could a tribe of Hebrews, who had 
never had intercourse with other nations, know anything 
about Alpha and Omega. As easily might they have 
known of A and Z. 

But observe the doctrine taught here, Behold I am 
Jesus Christ, I am the Father and the Son. So after all, 
the hypothetical dogmas of Emmanuel Swedenborg are 
the true doctrines of God's Revelation. The Father and 
the Son are one and the same person. "What poor mis- 
taken beings are those who read their Bibles and believe 
them to be a greater authority and a more correct guide 
than the dreams and whims of men. There they read 
of one person being placed on a throne, from whom 
a fiery stream issued and came forth ; and of another per- 
son being brought before him to whom he gave dominion, 
glory, and a kingdom ; that all people, nations, and 
languages should serve him 1 . There they find recorded 
an instance of one person walking into a stream to be 
baptized ; and of another, saying, in a voice from heaven, 
This is my beloved Son 2 . And of an individual when 
about to expire, or give up his life for the truth, looking 
up to heaven and there beholding one person standing at 
i Daniel, vii. 9-14. 2 Matthew, iii. 16, 17. 



63 



the right hand of another 3 . There too they are informed 
that GJ-od sent his Son 4 . Grave his Son 5 . And a thou- 
sand other expressions, all proving the falsity of the 
dogmas of Swedenborg, and the statements of Moroni 
in the Book of Mormon. 

After Christ had appeared to the Jaredites we find 
they sailed on again in their novel barges nntii they 
reached the land of America, where they arrived after 
swimming and diving for three hundred and forty-four 
days. They then built a number of cities and lived in 
all the ease and splendour of wealth and affluence. But 
like the Nephites they soon began to disagree amongst 
themselves — to dispute and quarrel about various petty 
trifles — and ultimately to fight and make war one with 
the other. They fought many very bloody battles, so 
much so, we are informed, that more than two millions 
of men were destroyed, besides women and children ; 
and, finally, about eight hundred years before Christ, 
after they had dwelt in the land for one thousand five 
hundred years, the whole were slain, with the exception 
of one man, and, consequently, the nation and race 
became extinct. 

Two out of the sixteen molten stones (which formed 
windows to admit the light into the curious barges, 
which conveyed the Jaredites over to America, and 
which became transparent, by a touch from the finger 
of G-od), afterwards formed the Urim arid Thummim, 
spoken of in the last Lecture, which was buried with 
the records, and, by means of which, Joseph Smith 
translated. "What curious things Mormonites have to 
believe. 

I have now given a brief sketch of the contents of 
this extraordinary Book, — extraordinary not because of 
the amount of information, either moral or religious, 
contained therein, for there is an entire absence of every 
thing of the kind ; nor because of the superior sense 
displayed in its pages, for no book was ever more 
destitute of anything like reason, — but because of the 
( extravagance of the circumstances, events, and trans- 
i actions there recorded. Even as a fiction it contains 
I the wildest flights of romance, and is scarcely equalled 

3 Acts, vh. 55. 4 John xvii. 18. 5 John iii. 1(>. 
r2 



64 



by the Travels of Baron Munchausen — Sindbad the 
Sailor — or the Arabian Nights' Entertainments ; but 
an attempt to palm such tales on the world as truth 
(to say nothing of inspiration,) must be viewed as 
downright madness, and the individuals found guilty 
of such, deserve to find a receptacle in a lunatic asylum, 
being more fit objects for that place than any other insti- 
tution in our world. 

Thus then whether we view the history of the dis- 
covery of the plates, as related by Smith — the passages 
of scripture, said to be prophetic of the Book of 
Mormon, referred to by Moses Martin — or the contents 
of the Book itself, no evidence whatever can be found of 
anything like truth, for in Smith's history of the plates 
investigation beholds the words falsehood and deceit 
written in indelible characters — in the passages of Holy 
Writ, the sentence, no allusion to the subject, is 
marked equally plain — and in the contents of the Book,, 
examination sees at once the terms fiction and romance 
inscribed upon every page- 

But having deliberately weighed the evidence adduced 
in favour of the claims of this Book to inspiration, we 
shall take leave of that part of the subject, and come to 
a consideration of the pretensions and doctrines of the 
Church of Latter-Day Saints, and I think I shall be 
able to show that the former are vain, and the latter 
false ; that all its boasted pretensions are as groundless^ 
and doctrines as unscriptual, as the conduct of its 
members is superstitious and fanatical, and the contents 
of its text book irrational and unreasonable. 

This church has more claim upon our notice, atten- 
tion, and favour than mere historical evidence, (at least 
so we are informed by her officers). She has in her 
constitution the proofs of her veracity and divinity — her 
ministers are endowed with apostolic gifts, and her 
members with an extraordinary influence of the Spirit 
of God — her priests can work miracles, and her elders 
interpret languages— her prophets heal the sick, and her 
apostles cast out devils. ~No gifts with which the 
primitive church was endowed, nor powers possessed 
by the apostles who had the establishing that church, 
liave departed from the church of the Latter Days. 



G5 



She shines forth in all the beauty of her primitive state, 
and in all the splendour of her pristine condition. 
Listen all you who have considered that miraculous gifts 
were only necessary in the commencement of a church, 
when, in order to establish herself, she would have to 
oppose the pre-existing powers, both moral and politi- 
cal, — to wage war against old systems, whose roots 
had struck deep into the faculties of the human mind — 
and to overturn all false theories, whether based upon 
ethics or religion, — I say listen, and hear how much you 
have been mistaken ; a church eighteen hundred years 
old needs miraculous gifts and her ministers feel the 
necessity of being in possession of supernatural powers. 
If you have ever visited a Mormonitish temple, or sat 
for a few minutes to hear the preaching of a priest of 
Later-Day Saintism, you have heard all other churches 
in the world put down as being of the devil — all other 
forms of Christianity designated antichrist — all other 
systems of religion condemned as being hypocritical and 
false — and every individual, being a member of such 
wicked denominations, consigned over to the torments 
of hell. Other churches, say they, cannot be of God, 
because they have not the apostolic gifts ; their minis- 
ters cannot work miracles, nor their teachers cast out 
devils, — Members of other denominations must be in 
error, because when sick they send for a physician 
to heal them, instead of their pastors, — Ministers of 
| other sects cannot be Christians, whether belonging to 
Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Independent, or Wesleyan 
churches, because they go to colleges to learn languages, 
instead of being taught of Grod. I have heard a great 
number of sermons preached by the priests and elders of 
the Latter-Day Saints and I think in every one, without 
exception, all other churches and denominations of pro- 
fessing Christians were condemned, because they were 
not in possession of these gifts. That argument, as 
they call it, against the truth of every other sect, 
forms a leading feature in all their preaching, teaching, 
praying, prophesying and conversation. Oh, what a 
wide and marked difference between the religion of 
' Joseph Smith (says a Mormonitish writer,) and that 
| of Protestant and Catholic religion — between his 

r 3 



authority and that of sectarian divines. The one 
promises ail the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost 
to his followers, the other is as powerless as the 
dry stubble prepared for the burning. While the 
followers of this great prophet cast out devils, speak 
with netv tongues, heal the sick, open the eyes of the 
blind, cause the lame to walk, obtain heavenly visions, 
and converse with angels; the followers of those 
unauthorised, deluded, and crafty sects not only deny 
these great and glorious gifts or impute them in these 
days to the power of the devil, but they grasp the sword 
and fire arms and deadly weapons to kill off the saints 
and drive them from the face of what they call civilized 
society. # "Where they have been so much persecuted as 
to be killed Avith fire and sword, I am at a loss to con- 
jecture, unless they refer to Joseph Smith, who was 
put to death, not for his religious opinions, but for 
political interference ; and as to their being driven 
from civilized society, it is their own leaders that have 
led them away, under the pretence of a command from 
God, to go to the promised land, and when they have 
arrived there many of them have been compelled to 
starve, and the remainder crave assistance Irom the 
Government, and from those whom they denounce as 
their persecutors. This was the case at JS r auvoo. Other 
sects never drove them away, they ran away themselves, 
guided by the dreams and whims of their self styled 
prophets, I am sure the various religious bodies need 
be under no apprehension of danger from the display 
of their miracle working powers, nor need they attribute 
them to the influence of the devil. They must first be 
convinced that they have these powers, before they : 
attribute them to the influence of any being. It would T 
be folly in the extreme for us to say, oh, the gifts 
that the Latter-Day Saints have in their church were 
received from the devil, before we have seen any reason 
to believe them to be possessed of superhuman gifts at 
all. It is all very fine for Mormonitish writers and 
preachers to tell their followers that other sects attri- 

* Divine Authority, or, the question, Was Joseph Smith sent of 
God. By Orson Pratt, (one of the twelve Apostles of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,) page 16. 



67 



bute their supernatural powers to Satanic influence,- 
because that statement takes it for granted that other 
denominations believe them to be possessed of these 
powers, and in some measure prevents their deluded 
followers from asking for a sight of them, by conveying 
to their minds the idea, that even their greatest oppo- 
nents never doubt the wonderful powers of their priests. 
We say to the Latter-Day Saints, First convince us 
that you have any super-human gifts and powers in 
your church, and then we will pass our opinion as to 
what Being they were received from ; but until we have 
seen some reasons for believing you to be possessed of 
them, there surely can be no necessity for us to attri- 
bute them to the influence of any Being. 

Now out of a vast number of these apostolic blessings 
with which they inform us the Spirit of God has en- 
dowed their church, I shall select four of the most 
prominent for investigation. First. — Miracle Working. 
Second. — The power to heal the sick. Third. — Prophesy. 
And Fourth.— The Gift of Tongues. These I shall ex- 
amine under their respective heads, and see if we can 
discover any evidence of the truth of their statements 
respecting them. 

First. — Miracle Working. Mr. Orson Pratt, says, 
The miracles wrought by Joseph Smith are evidences of 
no small moment to establish his divine authority. In 
the name of the Lord he cast out Devils, healed the sick r 
spoke with new tongues, interpreted ancient languages, 
and predicted future events, many of these miracles 
were wrought before numerous multitudes of both 
believers and unbelievers, and upon persons not con- 
nected with our church ; and, again, the numerous 
miracles wrought through the instrumentality of the 
officers and members of this church are additional evi- 
dences that the man who was instrumental in founding 
the church, must have been sent of God. # Here we are 
informed that Joseph Smith had the power of working 
miracles to a very great extent, and that his followers 
are endowed with the same gifts and blessings. These 
powers have been exercised we are told before numerous 
multitudes of people, both believers and unbelievers, and 
Divine Authority, Page 14. 



68 



frequently upon persons not connected with their 
church. JN"ow if this statement be true, there is no 
difficulty whatever in deciding the all-important question 
Can the Mormonites work miracles, for if a large multi- 
tude of disinterested people saw them exercise this 
power, and will come forward and attest the same, then 
the question is settled. But where shall we have to go 
to find these large multitudes of persons, or any one sin- 
gle individual selected from amongst them. "Why do not 
these preachers when they talk about such large num- 
bers of eye witnesses of their super-human powers, give 
us the names and residences of some of them, that we 
might go to them, and ascertain the nature of the mira- 
cles which they saw. For my own part I have never 
been able to meet with a single individual who has seen 
a display of these gifts, nor do I believe that such a per- 
son can be found, at least, not out of the Mormonitsh 
Church, and but very few even amongst those who 
profess her faith and place the most implicit credence in 
the statements of their Priests. The members of this 
new communion are continually talking about the mira- 
cles wrought by their prophets and teachers; but should 
you happen to ask them if ever they saw one, they are 
compelled to answer, however reluctantly, in the nega- 
tive. The real truth then is, that instead of large 
multitudes of persons, both believers and unbelievers, 
having seen a manifestation of these supernatural gifts, 
they have only been witnessed by two or three of those 
who were interested in the spread of the imposition. 

But this question can be settled by a much easier and 
shorter method than refering to other persons as autho- 
rities ; as the individuals are now living who wrought 
these miracles, and as they are endowed with the same 
power now as at any former period, let them shew us a 
display of their extraordinary gifts : let each one of us 
see for ourselves, and then all doubt on the subject must 
instantly cease. Let Messrs. Pratt, Spencer, Bigdon, or 
any of the other apostles of Mormonism, walk into a 
room where a female lies in the arms of Death, and with 
a voice of inspiration, like Saint Peter in the case of 
Tabitha,* call her back to live, and restore animation to 
* Acts, ix. 40. 



69 



her pale and ghastly corse; or let them visit an assembly 
where a young man, by a fall from the top of a building, 
has been deprived of his earthly existence, and like Saint 
Paul, in the case of Eutychus,* give back vitality to his 
frame, restore to the organs of his body their functions, 
and rectify whatever derangement might have been made 
in the anatomical structure by the violence by which the 
law of gravity brought him in contact with the earth ; 
or let one of them, when a poisonous and venomous rep- 
tile is clinging to his hand, like the great Apostle of the 
G-entiles, in the Island of Melita,t before a number of 
unbelievers, shake it off, without receiving any harm. 
Let them shew us a display of powers like these, before 
they talk of being able to work miracles. "We say, again, 
let us see them, or never again be called upon to believe 
in them. Here are the men whom we are told can work 
miracles, then why do they not shew us a display of their 
powers. If we went and informed the Latter-Day 
Saints that some personage who was not a member of 
their community, and who disapproved of their doctrines, 
was working miracles, I question very much whether 
they would believe us. Perhaps some few of them would 
pay him a visit; and if, when they arrived there, he 
should refuse to shew them a manifestation of his 
powers, I doubt not but they would immediately return 
and proclaim to their brethren that the man was an im- 
postor. Indeed, we need not make a supposition of the 
case, for this is just the manner in which they have 
acted. They have often been informed, that a number 
of individuals, beside themselves and Joseph Smith, have 
pretended to be endowed by Grod, with a power to work 
miracles, and yet they never believe it, but are continu- 
ally denouncing those very individuals as deceivers. 
"What reason then can they shew why we should believe 
them any more than they believe other persons. Why 
do they not act consistently, and obey the Saviour's 
golden rule, by doing to others as they would that others 
should do to them ; for that they do not I am well satis- 
fied from experience. Some few years since, hearing a 
great deal of talk about the extraordinary powers of 
these modern pretenders to apostolic gifts, and being an 
* Acts, xx. 10. t Acts, xxviii. 5. 



70 



anxious enquirer after truth, I was very desirous of 
ascertaining who were the individuals that could shew 
inamfestions of a superhuman power, so I waited upon 
a member of the Mormonitish church, who immediately 
referred me to an elder, telling me that I should there 
behold such things as would astonish me and prove 
beyond contradiction that their church was the only true 
one on the earth. Full of hope and expectation at see- 
ing what I had never beheld in my life, I paid the apos- 
tolic gentleman, called an elder, a visit, and informed 
him for what purpose I had come. At first he would 
have clashed together miracle working and the gift of 
healing by telling me of some dreadful headaches and 
tormenting colds he had cured ; but I instantly informed 
him, that both the Scriptures and his church spoke of 
each of those gifts distinct from the other, and it was a 
miracle that I wanted to see performed. He then 
answered, Yell you sees as oic I aint got tlie gift of 
mar aide narking, tliats our priests, chiefy, as lias 
that. I sometimes eals the sick and cures them tcho 
is Mil, tliats my peculiar gift. "Well, I left, feeling 
quite satisfied that whatever other gift the elder might 
lack, he had evidently a very peculiar gift of tongues. 
After this, I waited upon another gentleman, who called 
himself a priest, for the same purpose, whom I found to 
be a man of considerable mind, and who had evidently 
received a somewhat liberal education, but he also 
expressed his inability to work miracles, stating that 
healing the sick was of more importance than working 
miracles, and consequently that few persons were en- 
dowed with the latter gift. He then related six or seven 
very wonderful feats, which he designated miracles, that 
had been performed by the apostles, priests, and elders 
of this church, the whole of which I learned, as soon as I 
began to interrogate as to the locality, took place in 
America. Why the Latter-Day Saints stationed beyond 
the Atlantic Ocean should be endowed with greater 
blessings from God than those residing on the Island of 
Great. Britain, I have not yet learnt ; but, perhaps, 
because America is the favoured land of heaven, as we 
are informed in the Book of Mormon. However, I was 
determined not to be outdone, although I could get no 



71 

'kind hearted priest to shew me a display of his super- 
natural powers. Whether miracles were wrought any- 
! where or not, I was determined to be convinced, so I 
immediately wrote to a gentleman in America, to ascer- 
' tain the extent of the display of Morrnonitish blessings 
' in that land. He returned me an answer, stating that 
| he had attended numbers of meetings, and waited upon 
priests and elders in private, but all to no purpose. 
■ ; Miracle working was talked of in America to a very great 
extent, but its practical application was very limited 
indeed. He had never been able to catch a glimpse of 
'] the manifestation of any superhuman power, nor to meet 
with any person who had, except two or three of the 
first apostles of Mormonism, who were interested in the 
spread of the delusion, and whose word, therefore, was 
little to be relied on ; and, what is still more wonderful, 
that in that country they are continually talking of the 
miracles wrought in England, of which the people of 
; England, I am satisfied, are in entire ignorance. ZS ow, 
what is the conclusion to which we must come, in refe- 
rence to this gift. TVTiy, as rational beings, endowed 
with intellects, we can come to no other than this — That 
the Mormonites have never been able to work a miracle 
at all, and that all then boasted pretensions of being 
possessed of this power are vain and false. If they had 
ever succeeded, how is it that no person can be found to 
attest their success, especially when we remember that 
Joseph Smith promised that not merely priests and 
elders should be endowed with these gifts, but all the 
members likewise. In accordance with a revelation 
which he professed to have received from heaven, in the 
year 1832, he commands his apostles thus — Go ye into 
all the world, and whatsoever place ye cannot go into, ye 
shall send, that the testimony may go from you into all 
the world, unto every creature. And, as I said unto 
mine apostles, even so I say unto you, for you are mine 
apostles, even God's high priests, Te are they whom my 
.Father hath given me, ye are my friends, therefore, as I 
said unto mine apostles I say unto you again, that every 
soul who believeth on your words and is baptized by 
water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy 
Ghost ; and these signs shall foil 'ow them that believe — In 



72 



my name they shall do many wonderful works ; In my 
name they shall cast out devils ; In my name they shall 
heal the sick ; In my name they shall open the eyes of 
the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf, and the tongue 
of the dumb shall speak ; and if any man shall administer 
poison unto them, it shall not hurt them, and the poison 
of the serpent shall not have power to harm them.* 

Here you perceive the promise of the power to work 
miracles is not confined to priests or elders, but made to 
all those who believe in Mormonism, and therefore if 
Joseph Smith be a true prophet, we have a right to re- 
quest even the members of his church to shew us a mani- 
festation of that power. How can it be accounted for 
in accordance with this statement, that when we make 
such a request to members we are referred to elders, and 
from elders to priests, and from priests to apostles, and 
from apostles to another country, and from that country 
back again to this. Surely this fact proves, beyond con- 
tradiction, that Smith was an impostor, and promised 
blessings which he was unable to bestow. But let us 
ask a very simple question, Can any person be found 
connected with the church of Latter-Day Saints, who • 
believes himself to be possessed of the powers promised 
by this great prophet. If so, let him come forward and 
prove the fact, by handling a venomous serpent, or swal- 
lowing a dose of arsenic, prussic acid, oxalic acid, or any 
other poison, none of which can hurt him, according to 
Smith's statement, if he be a true believer in Mormon- 
ism ; and if such an individual cannot be found, nay, 
more, if all the Latter-Day Saints are not prepared to 
run this risk, then Mormonism is false, and its originator 
a deceiver, who has condemned his system out of his own 
mouth, isow let the Mormonites be brought to this 
test, and see how far their pretensions will stand good. 
They may then be acquitted or condemned, by the words 
of their own founder. But will they agree to this ? jSo, 
not they. Although the words of their own great pro- 
phet, they dare not be tested by them. "Whenever we 
request such a thing, we are immediately refused, and 
either some petty trifling excuse is attempted to be urged 
as a justification of their conduct, or we are called hypo- 
* Doctrine and Covenants, page 86. 



73 



crites for making such a request. Strange and unreason- 
able as it may appear, the people who make so much talk 
about their being in possession of various gifts, which 
other Christian sects are destitute of, are to be found 
denouncing those persons as notorious hypocrites, who, 
in their anxiety to gain a knowledge of the truth, and 
their care against being deluded by impostors, ask for a 
sight of these powers, described as being so common, 
Moses Martin, to whom I have referred before in these 
Lectures, says, "When a man asks for a sign, and at the 
same time pretends to believe the Bible, it not only 
shews that he is a notorious hypocrite, but places himself 
in the power of Satan. # Well done Popish Mormonism. 
Let no one see your miracles, and then request all men 
to believe your idle pretensions, without evidence or 
proof. No, Mr. Moses Martin, you will find that the 
people of this country, at least the intellectual portion of 
them, are not to be duped in this way. Joseph Smith 
has stated that all who believe in him should be able to 
work miracles — swallow poison without receiving injury, 
and perform various other extraordinary feats — now 
let «us have proof that such is the case, before we are 
called upon to believe it. Either shew us that you 
possess these powers, or else for ever cease to talk about 
them. 

Not only have we a right to demand a sight of the 
manifestation of these gifts and blessings, but to be 
allowed the liberty of criticising them after we have 
seen them, in order to prevent the possibility of our 
being deceived by trickery, for we know full well that 
many impostors have pretended to be able to work 
miracles and by means of legerdemain, ventriloquism, 
and collusion with other persons, have so deluded the 
spectators as to succeed in convincing the ignorant 
populace that they really were what they pretended to be. 
Nor can the Mormonites be said to be exempt from this 
charge. On two or three occasions they have attempted 
to perform feats by means of trickery and collusion, 
which they intended to pass off as genuine miracles, but 
unfortunately for themselves the plot of their scheme 
has been discovered before their purpose was entirely 
* Martin's Fulness of the Gospel. 



74 



completed. A case illustrative of this was recorded 
in the Patriot paper, of January 1st, headed, 

" THREE MORMON PROPHETS. 

" A short time since, three persons called at a house 
in the locality of the Newport cattle market, and one of 
them requested lodgings for the night. He was accom- 
modated, and the other two gentlemen, seeing their friend 
comfortably quartered, took their leave. The lodger 
retired to bed about ten o'clock, but not making his 
appearance down stairs by ten o'clock next morning, the 
landlady supposed he might be ill, and gently rapped at 
his room door, but receiving no reply she thought he had 
perhaps been over-fatigued on the previous day, and 
therefore slept late and soundly. A couple of hours 
more elapsed without the lodger appearing, and the good 
woman again went up, but this time peeped through the 
keyhole, when, to her great alarm, she saw her lodger 
stretched upon the bed, apparently lifeless. She called 
up her husband, who went into the room, and, without 
hesitation, pronounced him to be a corpse. At this 
critical moment there came a loud knocking at the street 
door, on opening it the woman saw the same two men 
who had brought their lodger the night before. As soon 
as they saw her, they said 1 You have a dead man in the 
house.' The woman said it was so, but asked how they 
knew it. t Oh it hath been revealed unto us by the 
angel of the Lord,' said the prophets. The husband, who 
appears to have been more wide awake than the wife, 
and who had been quietly listening to this, then said, 
■ Oh, I see! I see !' and, fetching a moderate sized walking 
stick, he ran up to the corpse, to which he applied his stick 
so effectually that the corpse sprang out of bed with one 
bound, huddled on its clothes with as little deliberation, 
and, darting down stairs, joined his brother prophets, 
and the three decamped with the least possible delay. " # 

Now, supposing the man in whose house this scene 
took place had not been well awake to deception and 
delusion, the Mormonitish prophets would have gone into 
the room, and have pretended to raise from the dead the 
feigned corpse, and what would have been the result ? 
Why an account of the case would have been circulated 
Patriot, vol. 18, page 7. 



75 

far and near as an extraordinary miracle, and the super- 
natural powers of the Latter-Day Saints would have 
been considered established by hundreds of those who 
had previously viewed them with suspicion. But, as it 
is, what has it done ? Stamped Mormonism with 
imposture and its advocates with deceit. After viewing 
this case I think there can be but one opinion as to the 
extent of the miracle working powers of the Latter-Day 
apostles, for surely if they had been endowed with any 
unusual gifts and blessings, they would never have been 
guilty of attempting to practice such gross imposture 
and deceit. And we must remember, too, that it is 
scarcely likely that this was the first attempt of the kind 
that had been made by the men here concerned, for a 
person who could so well feign death as to deceive a man 
and his wife must have had some little practice in his art. 

Having now gone through an examination of the first 
of their pretended superhuman powers, and finding no 
evidence whatever that would lead us to believe them to 
be possessed of anything of the kind, but, on the con- 
trary, everything tending to show that they have never 
been able to work a miracle at all, we will take leave of 
that topic, and come to the second of their gifts, viz. 

The power to heal the sick. — Taking a mere superficial 
glance, we should suppose that the difficulty in deter- 
mining whether or not the Latter-Day Saints are in 
possession of this gift would be less than that of miracle 
working, being much more common, since almost all the 
priests and elders, and even private members, pretend 
that, on various occasions, they have performed some 
wonderful cures, but, notwithstanding this, upon further 
consideration, we find the difficulty to be really greater, 
because sick persons are so frequently healed by other 
means and agencies, some of which operate so mysteri- 
ously that little, indeed, can be known concerning them, 
and, consequently, we are very liable to attribute the cure 
to the wrong one. The Mormonites inform us that 
almost all the diseases that flesh is heir to have fled 
before their magic touch, and that they alone possess the 
true antidote to all the numerous forms of sickness, — a 
look of their apostles is a grand catholicon, and a touch 
of their priests a panacea for every ill. Medicine and 

G2 



76 

medical agents, according to their statements, are no longer 
necessary, and physicians entirely a useless set of beings, 
Therapeutics is no longer to be considered an art or a sci- 
ence, but a supernatural gift, showered down from heaven 
upon men who have never taken the trouble and pains of 
a single hour's study. Hospitals and dispensaries are now 
superfluous institutions, and all the remedies prescribed 
by the Pharmacopoeia may be thrown to the dogs. The 
exertions of the Medical Protection Society, and the 
agitation of medical reformers, must alike be discontinued, 
to allow Joseph Smith's new supernatural method of 
healing to progress, In the writings of an old poet we read 

Quod medicorum est 

Promittunt medici 

But the words of Horace are certainly inapplicable to 

the present state of things. 

Where roam abroad untutored men, 
Who look with scorn on nature's powers, 
Refuse by science to be taught, 
And shun philosophy's sweet bowers, 
Who neither use nor sanction art, 
Yet boast that they can health impart. 

Now, supposing that the Latter-Day Saints could refer 
us to a few instances, (which I very much doubt whether 
they can,) where recovery from sickness has followed 
their peculiar manipulations and evolutions, still it would 
not prove that the restoration to health was the result of 
their operations or superhuman abilities, since persons 
have been frequently known to recover speedily, without 
any apparent or visible cause, from deep rooted diseases, 
which had long preyed upon their constitution ; and the 
force of imagination, when the patient has placed implicit 
credence in some favourite remedy, has, in ten thousand 
instances, resuscitated the weak and debilitated organs 
of his system, and conquered the disease which had for 
years held it in subjection to its power and influence. 
The power of the soul over the body, and the influence of 
the mind upon the organic functions, are subjects which 
deserve the attention of all thinking men, and which, 
when rightly understood, will serve to explain many 
phenomena which otherwise w r ould appear very mysteri- 
ous, and which the ignorant, in all ages, have attributed 
to a supernatural instead of a natural cause. It has 



77 



always been the great error of the human race, to attri- 
bute every thing which they could not explain or account 
for, to the direct influence of some supernatural agency ; 
and thus they have, in hundreds of cases, been led astray 
by impostors and deceitful men, who have made the 
powers of nature and science subservient to their delusive 
practices, by performing what the more ignorant thought 
were wonderful feats, and then laying claim to a more 
than human ability. "When I say this has been the great 
error of the human family, far be it from me to wish in 
any way to disparage the workings and manifestations of 
a supernatural power as seen in nature. Every movement 
that takes place in the physical universe, is the result of 
a fixed law, communicated to nature at her birth, by the 
great Artificer and Creator ; but all I wish is to guard 
against the ascribing phenomena which may happen to 
be brought before our view to a direct supernatural 
agency, especially when produced by fellow mortals like 
ourselves. If we read the history of the bye-gone ages, 
we cannot but be struck with amazement and surprise at 
the extent to which the individuals then living carried 
their superstitions, where we find the phenomena which 
science has now shewn us to be perfectly natural, were 
scarcely ever produced without being viewed as the effect 
of the supernatural abilities of some two or three deceit- 
ful impostors. This has been the case, especially in the 
healing of the sick, or curing diseases. An individual 
assuming a mysterious air, and dressed in a peculiar 
garb, would enter the room where the sick person w T as 
laid, and repeating over a number of occult words, and 
going through a variety of evolutions, would pretend to 
be imparting health by means of a charm or talisman. 
These mysterious proceedings would so excite the pa- 
tient's wonder and credulity, and act so powerfully upon 
the imagination, that, in some few cases, say one in a 
hundred, a cure would be the result, not arising from any 
supernatural influence, but from a well - known natural 
phenomena — the power of the soul over the body. Nor 
are instances of this kind confined to former ages, for 
modern history will furnish us with a number, entirely 
apart from Mormonism. Every individual who has paid 
any attention to this subject, must have seen the extra- 

g3 



78 



ordinary power of the imagination displayed in ten 
thousand cases, in reference to healing the sick. Cures- 
are said to be performed in the Roman Catholic Church, 
far more wonderful than any that have taken place in 
connexion with Mor monism ; and yet the Latter-Day 
Saints will not allow that the persons who perform them 
are endowed of God with any supernatural powers, but 
as soon as ever they hear of a cure of the kind, immedi- 
ately either deny it altogether, or attempt to account for 
it upon natural grounds. Now, why may we not do the 
same, in reference to their cures, i.e. if they can prove 
that they ever performed any, which I very much doubt. 
But let us refer to a few that have taken place apart from 
their church, and which must be accoivnted for entirely 
upon natural principles ; and afterwards take a glance at 
what we know of theirs. 

A case of this kind is recorded in the Union Cat lioliqiie. 
A young girl, who had been for some years confined to 
her bed, by a disease which baffled the skill of several 
eminent physicians, was deemed to be incurable. For 
the last four months her body appeared to be dead, she 
was incapable of moving either of her limbs, or even of 
raising her hand to take the light nourishment presented 
to her, she nevertheless preserved her intellectual facul- 
ties. For some time lately she became still more debili- 
tated, and was believed to be dying, and prayers were put 
up to God that he would put an end to her agony. At 
this period the cure of the parish read an account of a 
miracle which had been performed at Nice, and com- 
menced a neuvaine, in the hope that the Deity might 
have the same benevolence towards his suffering parish- 
ioner. Nine congregationists communicated on Thursday, 
the 10th ult., and on the 18th mass was performed at the 
altar of the holy virgin, the young girls of the parish 
•communicating in the name of the sick person. At the 
same time a pious woman repeated the mass to the poor 
girl, who was placed on her knees at the foot of the bed. 
At seven o'clock she communicated ; at eight o'clock, 
and between the two elevations of the host, the long 
suffering woman got up and seated herself on the bed, 
exclaiming, " Oh, I no longer feel ill, and if I continue 
thus I am cured." She had not spoken for a long time 



79 



before, and she could bear no light in her eyes without 
enduring great pain. After the mass she remained for 
some time perfectly tranquil, and then getting up, sud- 
denly spoke with all the force of a person in full health, 
saying, " I am cured ; oh ! a miracle ; leave me alone, and 
I will get up and walk." Astonishment filled the minds 
of all present. As no others were at hand, they put a 
pair of wooden shoes on her feet, and she walked in them 
with all the steadiness of any other person* In a few 
minutes the room was filled with people, and all present, 
with tears of joy in their eyes, joined in chanting the 
Te Deum. A mass of thanksgiving was performed in the 
church, the bells were rung, and the whole place was full 
of emotion. Those who were without faith became 
believers, and all joined in prayers to God. # 

Such is the cure as recorded in the most popular news- 
paper of the day. Now I am satisfied that such an in- 
stance of healing the sick never occurred within the pale 
of the Mormonitish church ; and yet no person who is 
compos mentis can believe even this to be a manifestation 
of supernatural powers. True, as it happened in the 
Boman Catholic Church, the members of that denomina- 
tion tell us it was a miracle, but it would be as unreason- 
able for us to believe that as to give credence to the tales 
of the gifts of the Latter-Day Saints. The real fact was, 
that the young woman had placed such implicit confi- 
dence in the power of her priest, and the efficacy of the 
mass and other ceremonies, that her imagination or mind 
gained entire control over her body, and restored it to 
health. But I will refer to another case of a similar 
kind. 

Charlotte Beeby, late of Elstow, aged 25, an inhabitant 
of Biddenham, had for the last five years been a cripple, 
with an affection of the back, the lower limbs being per- 
fectly paralized. The affection had resisted the treatment 
of many practitioners. Being acquainted with the epis- 
copalian church doctrines, taught by the Bev. Mr. 
Matthews, of this town, she conceived that if she were 
baptized by that gentleman, she would recover. Accord- 
ingly the Bev. Grentleman, at half-past ten at night, in 
the presence of a hundred spectators, converts to his 
Times, Dec. 15, 1842. 



80 



doctrines, proceed to the river Bicldenham, whither the 
diseased person was removed in a cart, as usual when 
moved about. Mr. Matthews going into the river to 
support her, immersed her in the water, when she imme- 
diately said " Leave me go, I can walk," and walked out 
of the water, and ran some little distance up a hill, till 
she was exhausted, but she has retained the use of her 
limbs ever since.* 

Now here were no superhuman gifts in this case, nor 
did the Rev. Gentleman lay claim to any. It was en- 
tirely the effect of the mind on the body. But what 
would it have been if it had happened in connexion with 
Mormonism, instead of Episcopalianism. Oh, more than 
a gift of healing — a miracle. What the Latter-Day 
Saints can say to cases of this kind, I am at a loss to 
conjecture. If they deny that they ever happened, then 
we answer, They are attested by far greater numbers of 
respectable persons than any of your cures. If they say, 
It was a miracle, then it proves that other denominations 
besides their own can work miracles. If they attempt 
to account for it upon natural principles (the only true 
mode), then the question stares them in the face, Why 
may not your cures be the same. On every hand they 
are hedged in, nor can they escape without admitting the 
vanity of their own pretensions. But I will notice a 
case or two entirely apart from anything like religion. 

Dr. Warren, of Boston, relates the case of a lady who 
had a tumour of the glands of the neck, of the size of an 
egg, which had lasted two years, and had resisted all the 
efforts for its removal, so that an operation was proposed. 
To this the patient objected, but asked whether it would 
be safe to make an application which had been recom- 
mended to her, viz. : touching the part three times with 
a dead man's hand, Dr. W. assured her that she might 
make the trial without apprehending any serious conse- 
quences ; after a time she again presented herself, and 
smilingly informed him that she had used this remedy 
and no other, and on examining the part he found the 
tumour had disappeared.f 

Now no person can be so weak and ignorant as to 

* Notes on the Influence of the Mind on the Body, by Edwin 
Lee, Esq. M.R.C.S., &c. page 42. t Ibid, page 47. 



81 



believe that there could be any efficacy in a dead man's 
hand for curing a disease. It was, like the rest, the 
power of the soul over the functions of the body. Ano- 
ther case, equally extraordinary, is related of a sailor who 
was deaf and dumb. 

A large body of sailors resorted to Sadler's "Wells 
Theatre, one night, and amongst them a man who was 
deaf and dumb, and had been so for many years. This 
man was placed by his shipmates in the front row in the 
gallery. Grimaldi was in great force that night, and, 
although the audience were in one roar of laughter, 
nobody appeared to enjoy the fun and humour more than 
this poor fellow; as the scene progressed, Grimaldi's 
tricks and jokes became still more irresistible, and at 
length, after a violent peal of laughter and applause, 
which quite shook the theatre, in which the dumb man 
joined most heartity, he suddenly turned to his mate 
who sat next him, and cried out with much glee, "What 
a funny fellow!" " Why Jack," shouted the other, start- 
ing back with surprise, 6 ' Can you speak ? " "Speak," 
returned the other, " Ay that I can, and hear too." The 
man, who appeared an intelligent and well-behaved fel- 
low, said that in the earlier part of his life he could both 
speak and hear very well, and that he attributed his 
deprivation of the two senses to the intense heat of the 
sun in the quarter of the world from which he had 
recently returned. He added that he he had for a long 
time felt a powerful anxiety to express his delight at 
what was passing on the stage, and that after some feat 
of Grimaldi's, which struck him as particularly amusing, 
he had made a strong effort to deliver his thoughts, in 
which, to his great astonishment, no less than that of his 

, comrades, he succeeded.* 

Although we have hundreds of cases similar to these 

I on record, yet, comparatively speaking, they are of very 
rare occurrence, since where one person can be restored 
by such means, a hundred, or, perhaps, a thousand, would 
be uninfluenced ; and, consequently, even this must not 
be considered an infallible mode of curing diseases, 
because its practicability is very limited. I have merely 
adduced these instances to show that, if even the Latter- 
* Ibid, page 40. 



82 

Day Saints could point us to a few cases of cures per- 
formed by them, it would prove nothing in favour of 
their supernatural gifts. In the pages of history we 
find accounts of numbers of individuals who have acted 
upon the imagination of other persons, to such an extent 
as to succeed in removing some slight diseases in a few 
instances, and then immediately have gone and pro- 
claimed themselves to be inspired by God, and endowed 
with an infallible power of curing all the infirmities to 
which flesh is heir. An old woman died, a few weeks 
since, in the county of Hereford, who had practised an 
imposition of this kind for years. The Hereford Journal 
thus narrates her death. 

" Death of an Impostor. — Died, on March 23rd, at 
Eowdon, Kingsland, in this county, in her 89th year, 
Elizabeth Hughes. She was the wife of a poor labourer ; 
and in 1804, obtained some celebrity as a successful im- 
postor. She declared, in consequence" of intercourse 
with angels and the particular inspiration of heaven, she 
had the gift of curing all diseases and infirmities, to 
which the human frame was liable, by touching the parts 
affected, and saying a prayer for the success of her 
endeavours. Her fame spread throughout this and the 
adjoining counties; and a highly respectable corre- 
spondent assures us, that he witnessed the arrival of 
waggons from Oxford, Bristol, Birmingham, and various 
other places filled with believers in the miraculous 
powers of this woman ; and, in six weeks, more than 
three thousand dupes were touched by the impostor, for 
various maladies. 5,# 

Now it is scarcely likely that any person could have 
carried on such an extensive practice of imposture, unless 
they had been successful in one or two cases. Elizabeth 
Hughes had, in all probability, succeeded in removing 
some trifling disease, in at least one instance, not by 
inspiration of God, or converse with angels, but by 
acting upon the patient's imagination, and, having once 
succeeded, began to propagate to the world her super- 
human power, as do the Latter-Day Saints. 

If we ask the priests and elders of Mormonism to 
come with us to the beds of those who are sick, and 
* Vide The Times, Saturday, April 7th, 1849. 



S3 



restore them, their answer invariably is, " Oh, we can 
only cure our own members and if we ask them to 
let us see their members previous to their being cured, 
to examine the state of their systems and constitutions, 
in order to ascertain whether they are really ill or not, 
we are immediately refused, on the grounds of our 
unbelief being a hindrance to the operation of their 
powers, "What peculiar powers they must be. But 
what reasonable man do they suppose will give any heed 
to their idle tales and false statements, when they refuse 
him an opportunity of examining the real facts of the 
case. "We are frequently referred to a number of in- 
stances where bad colds and severe headaches have been 
removed by Mormon priests ; but how do we know that 
the persons who profess to be restored had a cold, or 
pain in the head at all, and, if they had, that it is now 
cured. And if even it be, such trifling diseases as colds 
and headaches, are too precarious afflictions to be con- 
sidered a test of supernatural gifts. Eut we will refer 
to a case or two of their treatment of diseases. 

"We have an account on record of two members of 
the Latter-Day Saint community being attacked with 
cholera, or at least the symptoms of cholera, and the 
treatment they underwent by their soi disant heaven- 
sent physicians, alias priests. — Let us examine it* 

From the Glasgow Chronicle. — " A case occurred in 
Gorbals, last week, which we scarcely know whether to 
characterize as one of inhumanity or fanaticism. It 
appears that on Monday, the 15th inst., two sisters, who 
lodged with another sister, who lived at the Gratehead, 
were on their way home from Mr. Pollock's silk factory, 
at Grovan, where one of them was employed, when one 
of them was seized with the usual premonitary symptoms 
of cholera. Instead of making an effort to reach home, 
the girls proceeded, a little after six, to the house of a 
belt maker, residing at 43, Thistle Street, where the invalid 
was put to bed. The girls were intimately acquainted 
with this person, and had formerly rented a room from 
him, but he was peculiarly endeared to them from being 
a leader or elder of a sect called Latter-Day Saints, of 
which tabernacle the sisters were members. About half- 
past six the elder himself came home, and anointed the 



84 



body with olive oil, and prayed over her ; a practice it 
seeins recognised by the sect, in cases of disease. Ac- 
cording to the testimony of the survivors, the patient 
stated that she did not want any medical advice, but 
desired to see the elders, brethren, and sisters of the 
church. These were accordingly sent for, and soon a 
gathering of a dozen was collected, consisting, in addition 
to the belt maker, of a preacher, two weavers, a sawyer, 
and a collier, with sisters to match. They frequently 
joined in prayer, and varied the treatment, by adminis- 
tering brandy, and applying flannels and hot water 
bottles. The poor girl got no better, but worse, by the 
treatment, and at eleven at night her sister was seized 
also, and laid in the same bed. To be brief, the per- 
formance continued all night, and one girl died at five on 
the following morning, and the other died at nine, the 
people praying round the bed of the girls all night till 
they died. This extraordinary case .of neglect might 
never have been heard of but for the fact that the 
brethren found it expedient to apply, next day, to Mr. 
Mc'Tear, Inspector of Grovan parish, for coffins, and 
subsequently the case was taken up by Captain Wilson, 
and is still undergoing investigation. It would appear 
that the elder was not so spiritually minded as to 
be witheld, after the death of the poor girls, from 
preferring a charge of twenty-two shillings against their 
effects, consisting of ten shillings for arrears of rent, 
and twelve shillings for medicine, medical attendance, 
and funeral charges."* 

Here is an instance in which the supernatural powers 
of the Latter-Day Saints were applied to the treatment 
of cholera, and a most extraordinary case it is. As a 
proof of the extent to which they were endowed with 
these gifts, both of the young women died in a few hours 
under their treatment, when, in all probability, if a medi- 
cal man had been called in, their lives might have been 
saved. And then, after they were dead, the kind and 
good Mormonitish elder makes his charge, and seizes 
upon the poor girls' goods, for medicine and medical 
attendance. Medicine and medical attendance, forsooth ! 
So, then, these priests, although endowed by heaven with 
* Vide The Patriot, Monday, January 29th, 1849. 



85 

gifts, which therefore cost them neither labour, money, 
nor study, must make their charge for applying them. 
They tell us they are disinterested. Are they ? A few 
cases of this kind will make us suspicious. 

But I have another case or two of their medical 
treatment, (which have appeared in the newspapers very 
lately,) to which I shall refer, before taking leave of this 

j topic. It seems they can not only apply their gifts to 

J medical cases, but occasionally to midwifery, the priests 
and elders acting as accoucheurs. "What is the next thing 
we may expect of them I am at a loss to conjecture. 

" Cheltenham, Saturday. 
" The fashionable neighbourhoods of Cheltenham, 
Tewkesbury, and the surrounding districts, have been 
greatly excited since Saturday last, in consequence of the 
following appalling disclosures having been made at a 
coroner's inquest, held before Mr. Mayer, upon the body 
of a new-born child, the illegitimate offspring of Sarah 
Holder, a single woman, belonging to the sect called 

* Latter-Day Saints. From the evidence of Mr. John 
Preston, the bailiff of Cheltenham, and other witnesses, 
it appeared that Sister Holder, as she was described, is 

' about twenty-two years of age, and by the preaching of a 
man named Baylis, who is about fifty years old, she was 

V induced to join the society. The man Baylis so far pre- 

; vailed upon her, that she went to live with him, and the 
consequence was, that, on the 15th instant, she was de- 

j 1 livered of a child, partly by herself and partly by the 
assistance of Baylis. In the course of a week after, the 

jl affair came under the notice of Mr. Preston, and he 

] visited Baylis' house, in the Tewkesbury road. Having 
seen Sister Holder, she acknowleged that she had had a 
child, and that there was no medical man or midwife 

' present, but added that she had been delivered by the 
power of the Almighty, and the laying on of holy hands. 

J Mr. Preston at once demanded to see the child, when 
the female denied having been confined at all, and added, 
that members of the Latter-Day Saints never have any 

j thing to do with any persons except their brothers and 
sisters in Christ Jesus. From the state of Sister Holder, 

I Mr. Preston went to Mr. Hambridge, the superintendent 
of the police, who also went to the house, where he saw 

H 



86 



Brother Baylis. Having made known his object in call- 
ing, Baylis inquired by whose authority he came, when 
he said c In the name of the Queen.' Baylis, upon 
that, said, ' Well, I stand here on behalf of the Lord God 
of Heaven? Sister Holder, he continued, had had a bili- 
ous attack, and he had delivered her, for which he was 
thankful. He, in answer to a question from the officer, 
said that he had delivered her by the power of Almighty 
God and the laying on of holy hands. Being unable to 
find the child, the officers left ; but, the next day, the 
man and woman were observed hurrying towards the rail- 
way station, and they were both apprehended, when the 
woman said the child was in a house in Hermitage Place. 
Upon going there it was found, and hence the inquest. 
The man and woman were taken into custody, when they 
said, they did not consider they were doing wrong in living 
together, although Baylis had a toife and several children 
living. Baylis said that he believed Sister Holder was 
raised up to be a helper to him in spiritual and temporal 
things. The post mortem examination of the body proved 
that the child had been still born, and a verdict to that 
effect was returned, but the two were taken into custody, 
on the charge of concealing the birth." # 

This extraordinary case needs do comment, as it 
shews us at one view, not only the application of 
their pretended gifts, but their character and conduct. 
After a case like this having appeared in the public 
papers, what must we think of Mormonism and the 
Latter-Day Saints. But I have another case of a 
Coroner's inquest, held on the body of one of the mur- 
dered victims of these impostors, which I will give 
verbatim, from a popular weekly newspaper. 

" At Cardiff, on "Wednesday, an inquest was held on 
the body of a child, named Cecilia Howe, aged six 
years. The father of the child is a coal-heaver ; he is 
also recognised, as a teacher, in the assemblages of the 
Latter-Day Saints. He and a shoemaker, named George 
Taylor, a deacon with the saints, were present at the 
inquest, as it had been alleged that the child's death was 
accelerated by the treatment it had received, during its 
illness, at the hands of its parents and Taylor. 

* Weekly Dispatch, April 1st, 1849, page 208. 



87 



" The first witness examined was Anne Jenkins, the 
landlady of the house in which Howe and his family 
lodged. Her memory was so sadly defective that very 
little could be extracted from her. She recollected 
nothing — knew nothing — was too nervous to speak — did 
not like to interfere. However, she spoke of the general 
objection which Howe and the 6 Saints ' had to receiving 
medical advice, or, as they term it, to ' relying upon 
an arm of flesh ; ' and she added : £ I heard Mr. Paine, 
surgeon, ask the child's mother, if so be as how he 
would send medicine for the child, would she give it 
to her ? And the answer was, that she (the mother) 
would not.' This was on Tuesday last, at which time 
the child was not able to speak. The poor child had 
been very ill for several days ; and its moanings and 
cries frequently attracted the attention of the neigh- 
bours, who were astonished to witness the apathy with 
which her natural protectors seemed to regard her, and 
to hear their expressions of repugnance to taking means 
for the alleviation of her sufferings. 

" Harriet Heed said : Mrs. Howe was taken very 
ill on Whit-Monday. She was looking dangerously ill. 
She was not in bed, but w^as sitting between men and 
women. She became worse, and was put to bed on 
Whit-Tuesday, when I saw her. She was much 
cramped. Mr. Paine, surgeon, was sent for, on Whit- 
Monday. He asked Mrs. Howe if she would take 
medicine, and she said 'no. 5 Mr. Paine gave orders 
for me to come for medicine, for my husband, who was 
ill; and I went in to ask Mrs. Howe if I should bring 
her some the same time. She, or her husband, said 
they would trust in a better physician. On Saturday 
Morning her husband told me that she was better, 
but that his little girl had been taken very ill. I went 
out to our yard, two or three times, and I could hear the 
child groaning pitifully. I saw her father, on Monday, 
and asked him if the child had had any doctor, and 
he said, ' No, the child would come well as her 
mother did.' I saw Mr. Paine, on Tuesday morning, 
and I asked him if he would go and see the child: 
he went directly. I had not seen the child often, but 
I could hear her groans till I was most fainting from 

h2 



88 



her screams and moans „ I heard her father say, ' Hush, 
Cecilia,' when she would be crying or moaning. I could 
not stand to hear her cries. George Taylor said the 
' Saints ' could not carry out their work as long as there 
were evil spirits in the house ; if she were his child 
he would take her into a room where no spirit or 
devil should see her. On Tuesday afternoon her father 
brought me a powder, and asked me to give it to her : I 
told him it was too late to give anything; he ought 
to have thought of that before. He said : 6 No, no ; 
medical men could not save the child's life if it was 
to die.' I told him I did not see anything but death in 
the child. I told him, the first thing on Tuesday 
morning, that I w r as sure the child was going fast. 
George Taylor said the child should not die. He said 
that a quarter of an hour before the child died. He 
asked me if I would turn to their religion if the child 
lived. I told him I would venture to do anything if it 
did. By his religion he meant that of the 1 Latter-Day 
Saints.' He told me he would keep the child alive 
in defiance of all evil spirits. He was disturbing the 
child very much, and hindering it from dying, by his 
hallooing and screeching for God to keep the child alive. 
He said that no medicine was to be given to the child, 
I heard him several times advise the father and mother 
not to let medicine be given to the child. I am quite 
sure of that. "When I heard the father checking the 
child, in her agony, for moaning, I thought I should 
have fallen down. I could hear the Latter-Day Saints 
in the house, but not see them. The substance of 
Taylor's prayers was for God to restore the child in 
perfect health to her father and mother, as they were 
not willing for her to go. It was three o'clock on 
Tuesday afternoon when I was requested to give the 
child the powder, and her death took place at about six 
the same evening. When she was shutting her eyes in 
dying, George Taylor said as how she would begin to 
move soon. I said she would never come. 

" Mr. Paine, surgeon, said : On Tuesday, about noon, 
he found deceased in a half-comatose state, and in an 
almost insensible condition. She was very much ex- 
hausted, and very low. He went to see the child in 



89 



consequence of having been told by the neighbours that 
she had been ill some days, and shrieked dreadfully. 
The child's mother told Mr. Paine that it was wicked to 
interfere in cases of sickness, as if people were to get 
well they would, irrespective of human agency. Upon a 
subsequent occasion Mr. Paine told the 6 Saints ' who 
were in the house that it was cruel to allow a poor 
infant to lie in that state, without attempting to do any- 
thing to mitigate her sufferings. I have no hesitation in 
saying that her death was accelerated by neglect. The 
child died from exhaustion, produced by excessive suffer- 
ing from vomiting and purging. I fully believe that if 
proper attention had been paid to her, her life would 
have been spared. 

" The coroner said that if an adult were to refuse 
medicine, or to suffer a medical man to wait upon him, 
and were to die in consequence, the case would be very 
different from this. In this case a child of tender years 
was seized with a painful illness — she was too young to 
think and act for herself — she was in the hands of her 
natural protectors, who were bound by the laws of God 
and man to take care of her ; but they had not done so. 
The child's death had been accelerated by their conduct; 
and, in point of law, and common sense as well, they 
must be held responsible for the result. It would not do 
to plead conscientious scruples. Parents might murder 
their children, if such pleas were admitted, and allege 
that they knew their children would be better off in 
another world — that they would be here exposed to 
I all the temptations of sin, and that their consciences 
prompted them to destroy their offspring. He (the 
coroner) thought it would be dangerous to admit such 
pleas. 

" After remaining in deliberation for nearly three 
hours, the jury returned their verdict, that the child 
■ Died by the visitation of Grod.' 

" Under the circumstances detailed in the evidence, 
the verdict is most extraordinary ! Doubtless, with such 
| intelligent jurymen, to shelter the perpetrators by a 
friendly verdict, we shall have no lack of Mormonite 
murders to record in our columns. " # 

* Weekly Times, June 17th, 1849, page 458. 
H 3 

I 



90 



After relating these cases, I think it is quite un- 
necessary to say more in reference to the wonderful 
efficacy of the Mormonitisli method of curing diseases . 
But we will come to another of their gifts, which is 

Prophesy. — Orson Pratt, says, The fulfilment of a vast 
number of prophesies delivered by Mr. Smith, is another 
infallible evidence of his divine mission.^ Is it. I won- 
der where these prophecies are to be found, for my own 
part I have never been able to meet with one that could 
be considered conclusive. Smith predicted, we are told, 
that Grod would raise up three witnesses, and, after that 
three men received a revelation concerning the golden 
plates, viz. : — Oliver Cowdery, David "Whitiner, and 
Martin Harris. "What a wonderful prophecy, when all 
the men were associates in the imposture. He also 
predicted that his followers should be persecuted. Dear 
me. "What an extraordinary prediction. What denomi- 
nation is there that has not been persecuted. Eut this 
was not verified to any very great extent, as I have 
before shown. Here are the two prophecies selected by 
Mr. Pratt, from among the many hundreds delivered by 
Smith, of course considering these the most conclusive 
of any. What, therefore, must be the others. But 
Smith also predicted, as I remarked in the last lecture, 
that when the people were prepared, he should go and 
bring forth the sealed part of the records. This predic- 
tion must be false, as he is since dead, and they are not 
yet brought to light. If such were the kind of prophe- 
sies uttered by the founder of Mormonism, what must 
we expect of his disciples. Surely there never were 
any people in the world more destitute of the gift of 
prophesy than the Latter-Day Saints, notwithstanding 
all their boasted pretensions. The next and last gift 
that I shall examine, is 

TJie gift of tongues. — "What they mean by this, is, that 
the individuals endowed with it, are capable of reading, 
translating, and speaking a variety of languages, without 
ever having taken the trouble to study them. There is 
certainly a great difficulty in the way of determining 
whether or not any individual is so blest, because if 
we meet with a person who knows a number of lan- 
* Divine Authority, page 13. 



91 



guages, and who pretends that this knowledge was com- 
municated to him from heaven, we cannot tell but he 
might have learnt them by perseverance in study. But 
taking the trouble to investigate as far as the Latter- 
Day Saints are concerned, is quite unnecessary, for, I 
believe, if we search their camp from one end to the 
other, we shall never be able to meet with a person 
who is blessed with any very large share of this, or, in- 
deed, any other kind of knowledge. The greatest Mor- 
monitish scholar that I ever heard of (of course except- 
ing Smith), was a young man who pretended to know 
five languages. A Mormon told me that this must have 
been inspiration, as no man, so young as he was, could 
possibly have learnt so many languages. What most 
extraordinary proofs of inspiration, Latter-Day Saints 
can furnish us with to be sure. What can they say to 
cases where men have made themselves acquainted with 
thirty, forty, and fifty languages. Can their inspiration 
come up to that ? Oh, no. These natural abilities 
triumph entirely over their pretended supernatural gifts, 
A young man with a knowledge of five languages, to be 
considered a monument of the gift of tongues. Why any 
school boy, when he leaves the preparatory academy, 
previous to going to Alma Mater, knows as many, and 
very frequently more, viz. Latin, Greek, French, Grerman, 
and English, and often Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, and the 
Oriental languages. Oh ! Mormonism, what evidences 
of thy truth do we behold. But let us take a brief 
glance at Joseph Smith. He, we are informed, was en- 
dowed with this gift to a wonderful extent, being able to 
read and translate old records, which no one else in the 
world understood. A gentleman (Mr. Caswall) who paid 
the great modern prophet a visit, in the year 1842, thus 
describes his wonderful abilities. 

I handed (says he) a book to the prophet, and begged 
him to explain its contents. He asked me if I had any 
idea of its meaning. I replied that I believed it to be a 
Greek Psalter, but that I should like to hear his opinion. 
" No," he said, " it aint Greek at all, except perhaps a 
few words. What aint Greek is Egyptian, and what 
aint Egyptian is Greek. This book is very valuable. 
It is a dictionary of Egyptian hieroglyphics." Pointing 



92 



to the capital letters at the commencement of each verse, he 
said, " Them figures is Egyptian hieroglyphics, and them 
which follows is the intepretation of the hieroglyphics, 
written in the reformed Egyptian. Them characters is 
like the letters that was engraved on the golden plates." 
Upon this the Mormons around began to congratulate 
me on the information I was receiving. " There," they 
said, " we told you so, we told you that our prophet 
would give you satisfaction ; none but our prophet can 
explain these mysteries." 

This was the man who pretended to have translated 
Egyptian records, and to be endowed with the gift of 
tongues, and yet was not possessed of sense or educa- 
tion enough to distinguish a Greek character from an 
Egyptian one — called Greek capitals Egyptian hiero- 
glyphics, and the small letters, which followed, reformed 
Egyptian, like that which was written on the plates, and 
mistook a Greek Psalter for an Egyptian Dictionary. — 
What a learned man. The description which Mr. 
Caswell has given of the soi disant prophet will for ever 
set at rest all questions upon the Mormonites' gift of 
tongues — Joseph Smith's abilities — and the tale of the 
golden plates. 

Having now briefly reviewed the pretensions of these 
ignorant and deluded men, and, finding no evidence 
whatever that would lead us to believe that they have, 
on any occasion, or under any circumstances, been able 
to manifest or display any one of their much talked of 
superhuman gifts, I shall take leave of that part of the 
subject, and bring before your notice a few of the 
leading points of doctrine, as held by them, and test 
them by that infallible standard of truth — the Bible 5 
and, in doing so, I think I shall be able to show that 
they are not only unscriptural and unreasonable, but 
some of them Atheistical, and others Popish. The first 
I shall notice is 

The Eternity of Matter.— Mr. P. P. Pratt, a Mormon- 
itish writer, informs us, in a work, entitled The World 
turned upside-down, — what a high-sounding title, but 
still not very inappropriate ; yet a better one would be 
" Christianity turned upside down;" or, more literally 
speaking, " True Religion attempted to be overthrown." 



93 



He informs us that, as there is no power in existence, 
by which we can destroy matter, so there is no power in 
existence that could create it. "Well done Mr. Pratt, 
So much for the god of the Latter-Day Saints, a being who 
is not omnipotent, but whose power is so limited that he 
could not create matter, but only change, modify, or 
transform it, which is but little more than man can do, 
by the aid of modern science. 

The eternity of matter is a point which has been con- 
tended for by the Atheist, in every age, and every nation, 
where such men have been found to exist ; but to find 
persons, calling themselves Christians, teaching it, or 
even admitting it, is rather a novelty, and deserves 
not to be over-looked. When we have met this horrible 
proposition in the shape of a defence of Atheism, we have 
not experienced much surprise; for men who would 
attempt to bolster up such erroneous views, as every blade 
of grass, or leaf of a tree, or bloom of a flower would 
contradict, are glad to lay hold of any weak or fragile 
reed to assist them, or to assume a point which is disputed, 
or take for granted that which can, in a few minutes, be 
proved to be false ; but when we behold a denomination 
of people, calling themselves Christians, and professing 
to be guided by the Old and New Testaments, conceding 
to the Atheist a principle upon which he can rear his 
whole edifice of error and falsehood, we immediately 
begin to think that the two must be in league with each 
other, and that one of them has merely dressed himself in 
the garb of Christianity, in order to propagate, the more 
effectually, the abominable monstrosities of Atheism. 

The followers of Joseph Smith have not been content 
merely with perverting the Scripture upon this point, 
but they have had the audacity to tell us, in the midst 
of the improvement and enlightenment of the nineteenth 
' century, that the eternity of matter was a scientific 
truth, and could easily be proved by an investigation of 
the powers of nature, This, of course, they learned 
from those pseudo philosophers calling themselves Athe- 
ists, who, having made themselves acquainted with the 
rudiments or outlines of a few of the sciences, and a 
number of technical terms, proceed to expatiate on the 
wonders and developements of nature, in a manner 



94 



winch they take care those who hear them shall not be 
able to understand, being particularly careful, at every 
step they take to attempt to shew that there was no 
necessity for the interference of Deity, as an ancient 
poet writes, 

Quae hene cognita si teneas : natura videtur, <5fc. 

If then you'll understand you'll plainly see, 

How the vast mass of matter nature, free 

From the proud care of meddling Deity, 

Doth work by her own private strength, and move 

Without the trouble of the powers above. 
Perhaps the Latter-Day Saints do not say, in so many 
Words, that all the workings and changes of nature could 
go on without a God, but certainly their doctrines are 
tantamount to that ; for, if matter be eternal, then it 
must be selfi-existent, and self-existence is the greatest 
of all powers, and no change of matter that has ever 
been known to take place has required a superintending 
Deity so much as creation. If we admit the eternity and 
self-existence of matter, we put into the hands of the 
Atheist a weapon which he will wield successfully against 
many of our other arguments for the existence of the 
Deity. The eternity of matter is an Atheistical doctrine, 
and any class of people teaching the same, whether 
calling themselves by the cognomen of Christian or Infi- 
del, are doing much to propagate the notion (I will not 
say doctrine) of the non-existence of God. If such be 
true, and no one can dispute it, then the Latter-Day 
Saints are culpable for spreading Atheistical tenets, and, 
consequently ought to be opposed by every person who 
considers that any benefits accrue to society by believing 
in a Self-existent, Omnipotent, and Eternal Jehovah. 

As they pretend to teach, not only from Scripture, but 
science, we will attack them upon both grounds, and 
shall I think be able to shew that this monstrous opinion 
is alike opposed to philosophy, reason and revelation. I 
am one of those who believe that science and the Bible 
go hand in hand together in their teaching, and that in 
no single instance can one oppose the other. The former 
is God's work, the latter his word; and so sure as they 
each have the same Eeing for their Author, so surely 
must they be in harmony together. True, new discove- 
ries in science may be opposed to our former views of 



95 



certain passages of holy writ, but that must be attributed 
not to the incongruity between the real meaning of the 
passage and the developments of nature, but to the errors 
of human interpretation. Astronomy, some years since, 
was believed to be opposed to the Scriptures, when her 
latest discoveries were placed in juxta position with the 
comments of men, upon certain texts ; but, ultimately, 
other interpretations were adopted, which were strictly 
in harmony with the science. The discoveries of Geo- 
logy, too, although they appeared at first, by a mere 
superficial glance, to contradict the Mosaic account of 
creation ; yet, upon closer investigation, were found 
really to establish it, and prove its truth and the inspi- 
ration of its Author. So it is with every other branch 
of science. The manifestations of God's power, by means 
of nature, must be in strict congruity with the revela- 
tions of his will by means of inspiration ; and in no 
doctrine shall we behold this union more strikingly 
developed, than in the dependence of matter upon the 
Creator. 

Tell us that the eternity and self-existence of matter 
is a philosophic truth. I say it is false. It is a libel 
upon science, and an insult to the greatest philosophers 
that have ever existed. Oh, Newton, how weak was thy 
mind, and powerless thy discoveries, when compared with 
those of the Latter-Day Saints. Thou never beheld in 
nature marks of her eternity, nor evidence of her self- 
existence ; but, in all the various forms and organiza- 
' tions of matter, the workings of a wise and intelligent 
i God. But Mormonites, whose chief wisdom consist in 
digging into the earth, for superstitious relics of barba- 
! rous ages, and, in the event of not finding any, attempt- 
ing to palm a romance on the world as a revelation from 
! heaven ; these men can see in matter proofs of her eternal 
nature, and in the universe evidences of self-existence. 
But now to ask them where, for I am satisfied that, 
\ unless they have been in the habit of glancing at the 
external world through the magic spectacles of Joseph 
] Smith, called the Urim and Thummim, which I have not 
I had the pleasure of seeing, they will not be a little 
I puzzled to shew us in what form of matter they beheld 
n the word eternity legibly written, 

II 



96 



This globe of earth that we inhabit was not always 
tenanted by beings like ourselves, or similar to those 
which are at present to be seen upon it. Previous to 
the origin of man, there were animals of quite a different 
kind, whose petrified remains are still to be found em- 
bodied in the strata of the earth. Tracing the course 
backwards, we pass by various forms of animal and vege- 
table life, until we arrive at a period when no kind of 
organism existed, but when there seem to have been a 
mixture of all the elements out of which organic struc- 
tures were afterwards formed. The imponderable agents 
and tangible substances — liquids and solids — water and 
earth, all united together, forming a confused mass 
(called by the ancients chaos), upon which darkness 
spread her sable curtain, enveloping the whole in sombre 
attire. This state of matter has been beautifully pic- 
tured by the poet Ovid. 

Ante mare et terras, et quod tegit omnia, caelum 
Unus erat toto naturae vultus in orbe, 
Quern dixere chaos; rudis indigestaque moles, 
Nee quicquam nisi pondus iners ; congestaque eodem 
Ts T on bene junctarem discordia semina rerum. 
I have not time to give a scientific history of creation, 
nor would it be in place in a Lecture like the present ; 
but for the benefit of those who may not have paid any 
attention to the subject, I will just give a brief outline. 

All material bodies are supposed to be composed of 
small particles called atoms, which are not further divisi- 
ble. Now heat has a tendency to make those minute 
atoms repel each other, and thus to spread the bulk of 
matter which they compose, into a much larger space, as, 
for instance, a piece of iron wire, when heated to redness, 
will become too large for an aperture, which, when cold, 
itjwould enter with ease. Now we know that there is a 
vast quantity of heating matter in the earth, for it is con- 
tinually being discharged by burning mountains or 
volcanoes, and frequently in the shape of earthquakes. 
When the whole body of the earth was heated to a very 
high temperature, it was fluidified, and in all probability 
extended as far as the orbit of Mars or Yenus, the pla- 
nets next the earth on either side. 

There is every reason to believe that the matter of 
which the other planets are composed, and even the sun, 



97 



was at one time subject to this heating action, which 
would make the bright luminary of the day extend as far 
as Mercury, the nearest planet to the Sun ; Mercury to 
Venus ; and so on, up to the most remote part of our 
solar system. Thus the whole was a chaos consisting of 
a large mass of fused matter, which was in just the same 
state as many of the nebulae appear to us to be now in 
the remote star system. After this, the law of motion 
was imparted to it, by the Creator, which caused the 
whole to revolve upon an axis. The process of cooling 
would then go on, and would of course bring the exterior 
first into that state. The outside of this large mass of 
matter being cooled down and hardened, would, by the 
rapid rotation of the whole, be thrown off into space, 
which w r ould form a planet and constitute the most 
remote in the system. This planet having received the 
rotatory motion previous to its leaving the whole bulk of 
matter, would continue that motion which would give it 
a tendency to fly off further into space and constitute the 
centrifugal force, while the law of gravity acting upon it 
would constitute the centripetal force ; thus, one planet 
would have commenced its circuitous movement as we 
see it going on at the present day. The fused mass still 
cooling down, a second planet would be thrown off in 
the same way ; and after that another and another, and 
so on, until the whole system of primary planets had 
commenced their circumrotations around the matter still 
left, which would form the sun, and afterwards become 
the source of light and heat. The primary planets would 
in the same way throw off secondary ones or moons, and 
thus the whole system would be formed. But up to the 
present day, this grand work is not all finished, even in 
reference to our own system or the system of which our 
; earth forms a member, for, encircling the planet Saturn, 
, in addition to seven moons, we find two immense rings, 
which, according to all appearance, are composed of mat- 
ter in nearly the same state as was that out of which 
secondary planets are formed, when first thrown off from 
the primary ones ; and, which will, undoubtedly, ulti- 
mately be broken up and form moons shnilar to the one 
. attending upon our earth, the four of Jupiter, the six of 
' Uranus, or the other seven of Saturn. This process 

l 



98 

is beautifully described by Dr. Darwin in one of bis 
poems. 

When Love Divine, with brooding wings unfurl'd, 

Call'd from the rude abyss the living world. 

— ( Let there be light ! ' proclaimed the Almighty Lord, 

Astonish'd Chaos heard the potent word ; 

Through all his realms the kindling ether runs, 

And the mass starts into a million suns ; 

Earths round each sun with quick explosions burst, 

And second planets issue from the first; 

Bend, as they journey with projectile force, 

In bright ellipses their reluctant course ; 

Orbs wheel in orbs, round centres centres roll, 

And form, self-balanced, one revolving whole. 

— Onward they move amid their bright abode, 

Space without bound, the bosom of their God ! 

After the solar system or any otber system bad in this 
way been formed, cbanges would go on upon tbe surface 
of eacb of tbe planets, to prepare tbem for tbe habitation 
of animal and vegetable life. 

But to come to tbe real question — tbe eternity of 
matter — allow me to ask tbe Latter-Day Saints, or 
Atheists, or anybody else wbo believe tbe borrible doc- 
trine, In what form matter from all eternity existed? 
There is no possibility of tracing it further back by 
science than nebulae, of which I have been speaking. 
Did matter then exist from eternity as nebulae ? No,^ 
that would be contrary to all tbe operations going on in 
nature around us at the present time, for matter is conti- 
nually undergoing changes and never remains in the 
same state. In what state then did it exist ? I once 
put this question to an infidel, and he answered, Oh, it 
was formed into systems, and then, after a long course of 
time, those systems were broken up and new ones 
formed ; and so a succession of suns and planets conti- 
nually kept coming into existence and going out again. 
Now should that be the subterfuge of the Mormonites, I 
will just inform them that such a process is impossible. 
Because, as soon as one planet was disorganized, the dis- 
turbance of the law of gravity in that planet would cause 
tbe whole system to be thrown into confusion: and 
suppose a system had become disorganized, its action 
upon other systems would have produced the same effect 
upon them, and the whole universe would have been 



99 



thrown into disorder. If they say that nebulae wa3 
formed from a more subtle substance, and that substance 
from some imponderable agent, still, we ask, "What was 
the last-mentioned formed from ? It must have pro- 
gressed from some other, according to all the known laws 
of matter. Trace it, therefore, as far back as you can, 
and then, one of two things is certain ; either, it had 
remained in that state from eternity, or else, it was not 
of an eternal nature at all, but had been created or 
brought from nonentity by Jehovah. The first supposi- 
tion is impossible, therefore, the last must be true : thus 
you see the notion of the eternity of matter is unphilo- 
sophical, and has no foundation whatever in science ; nor 
is it reasonable, for, as Dr. Adam Clarke observes, If 
there were an eternal nature besides an eternal God, 
there must have been two self-existent, independant, and 
eternal beings, which is a most palpable contradiction. 

This monstrous doctrine is equally opposed to the 
Scriptures of the Old and 2s"ew Testaments, not only 
being not sanctioned therein, but the contrary doctrine, 
viz. : the creation of all things by God, taught from the 
beginning to the end of that sacred Book. Let us, 
therefore, see how far the Latter-Day Saints are guided 
by what they find therein written. 

The history of creation, given by the inspired penman, 
opens with a statement which will blow to the winds or 
crush to atoms the false theory of the eternity of matter. 
As if to guard us against the fallacious doctrine which 
would in after years make its appearance in our world, 
he takes care that the first sentence he writes shall prove 
it an error. In the beginning (says he) God created the 
heavens and the earth, or, more correctly translated, the 
matter of the heavens and the earth. As the Mor- 
monites, and some others whose information is very 
limited, tell ns that this passage does not mean created 
but merely formed, organized, changed, &c. we will refer 
to the original, and see if we can discover what is the 
true meaning of the statement made by Moses. In the 
Hebrew it reads 

JBereshith Bara JEloldm etli hasliamayim iceth Tiarrettz, 

2riNn nw crown dyi^n *m rw*on 

i2 



100 



Now, in reference to this text, I may observe that in the 
first place, the word Elohim nvftK which we translate 
God, means the creative power of God. In the second 
place, the term Bara which we render created, 
means, not as some would have us believe re-organized, 
moulded, devised, &c, but created, i.e. brought into exis- 
tence from nonentity. Such is the true meaning of the 
word, and so it is interpreted by the Jewish Rabbins. 
Thirdly, the particle, eth JlX which has in it Aleph K 
and Taw n, the first and last letters of the Hebrew 
alphabet (and is similar to alpha, A, and omega, Q, the 
first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, which are 
often used to signify the beginning and the end # ) means 
the substance of all things, the prima materia out of which 
everything else was afterwards formed. This is the mean- 
ing given to the word eth, by many very learned critics 
on the Hebrew tongue ; and, therefore, a proper trans- 
lation of the whole passage would be, In the beginning 
God created the elements of the heavens and the earth. 

Taking this view of the subject, what must become of 
the doctrine of the eternity of matter. It cannot stand 
the test of this one single passage of Holy "Writ, but 
vanishes at the appearance of the Bible, like drops of 
dew before the morning sun. But we have not quite 
done with it yet. In the Prophesies of Isaiah t we 
read, " Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, and He that 
formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh 
all things." JN"ow matter is surely one of the all things, 
and, therefore, if this passage be true, God made matter, 
and, consequently, it could not be eternal. In Saint 
Paul's Epistle to the ColossiansJ we are informed that 
all things were created by Christ. And John, in the 
Apocalypse§ makes the same statement. I again say 
that matter is one of the things, and a very important 
one too, and, consequently, it cannot be eternal. Num- 
bers of similar passages may be found scattered through- 
out the sacred volume, all of which go to prove the 
dependance of matter upon the creator, but I will now 
call your attention to a very important one. In the 
Epistle to the Hebrews we read,|| 

* Vide Revelations, i. 8, 11, and xxii. 13. t Isaiah, xliv. 24. 
t Colossians, i. 16. § Revelations, iv. 11. || Hebrews, xi. 3. 



101 



" Through faith we understand that the worlds were 
framed by the word of God so that things which are 
seen were not made of things which do appear." 

Now the worlds, with everything else in the universe, 
w r ere framed out of the elements, and those elements 
appear and are seen. But if the things which are seen 
were not made out of things which do appear, what 
then, Mormonites, were they made out of? Suppose any 
subtle kind of eternal matter you please, still that matter 
must appear in the things made out of it, which would 
be contrary to the statement made by the inspired 
writer. The doctrine of the eternity of matter cannot, 
by any possibility, be reconciled with this passage ; and 
the only interpretation that can be given is, that, as the 
things which are seen, viz., the elements, were not made 
of things which do appear, they were made from nothing, 
or spoke into existence, by the mighty power of God. 
A God who was able to do this is the God of the Eible, 
whatever the Latter-Day Saints may say to the contrary, 
and if they be content to worship a god whose power was 
so limited that he could not create matter, we are not, for 
the God whom we choose to worship is omnipotent. 

But we shall now see that the limiting the power 
of God is nothing to be compared with the blasphemy 
of other views which they entertain, in reference to the 
Divine Being. This will lead us to the second point 
of doctrine, which we shall consider, as taught by the 
Mormonites, wz. 

The Person of God. — Mr. Orson Spencer, B.A., one 
of the present leaders of the Mormonitish movement 
informs us that the generality of professing Christians 
are as guilty of worshipping an unknown god, as were 
those individuals who were so ably and justly reproved 
by the apostle Paul in his discourse, delivered upon 
Mars Hill* This is certainly a grave charge preferred 
against the great majority of those who believe in 
the Bible, and think they understand and interpret it 
aright, not only in reference to the person of God, 
but every other important point of Christian doctrine. 
But let us see upon what grounds this charge is 
made. The Mormonites seem to have discovered, from 

* Vide Orson Spencer's Letters. 
I 3 



102 



some source or other, that God is not an omnipotent 
spirit, but a material Being, or, at least, if not composed 
entirely of matter, (which some of them seem to hold 
and others deny,) yet in possession of a material cor- 
poreal body, like our own, and it is only because other 
denominations do not believe this absurd and unscrip- 
tural hypothesis that they are branded as Idolaters 
and worshippers of an unknown God. A close investi- 
gation, however, of the apostle Paul's description of 
an unknown God would, I think, be found to apply, 
with greater force, to the opinions of the Latter-Day 
Saints than to ours. The statements made by him, in 
reference to the Deity, certainly imply the contrary of 
God's materiality, teaching plainly His spirituality. 
God (said he) that made the world, and all things 
therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, 
dwelleth not in temples made with hands ; neither is 
worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed 
anything, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and 
all things ; and hath made of one blood all nations of 
men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath 
determined the times before appointed, and the bounds 
of their habitation ; that they should seek the Lord, 
if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though 
he be not far from every one of us : for in Him we live, 
and move, and have our being. # Isow every unpreju- 
diced mind must see, at one glance, that the God here 
spoken of, by the great apostle of the Gentiles, is a 
spiritual existence, and that the notions, concerning the 
Deity, which he is so zealously opposing, are similar ta 
those held by the Latter-Day Saints, viz., a god who 
could dwell in temples made with hands ; a material, a 
corporeal being, etc. — a God who dwelleth not in 
temples made with hands is a spiritual God — a God 
who is nigh to every one of us, is a spiritual God — 
and a God in whom we live, and move, and have our 
being, can be none other than a spiritual God. For 
one corporeal being to live and move in another is 
impossible, because it implies that two material sub- 
stances can be in the same place at one time, which 
is directly contrary to the well-known property of 
* Acts, xvii. 24—28. 



103 



matter — impenetrability, Thus we see that the God 
of Saint Paul was a spiritual God. But who ever heard 
of a material God ; the very term is a contradiction and 
a paradox. If we had not met with it in Mormonitish 
books we should never have believed that any person in 
the world (at least out of Bedlam,) would have been 
found guilty of using it. But jMormonism is, in reality, 
something new under the sun, and Latter-Day Saints 
are certainly a very curious kind of beings. While 
looking at the doctrines held by them, especially this* 
one, we cannot help exclaiming with the poet, 

Oh, sense, thou art fled, to brutish heads, 
And men have lost their reason. 

For amidst the multiplicity of heretical notions, circu- 
lated in society, by their various devotees, I think I 
never met with one so opposed to the teachings of 
Scripture, and the dictates of common sense, as God's 
materiality. In fact, a material being cannot be a God 
at all, as it is directly contrary to the very nature and 
divine perfections of Deity. 

In the first. God must be eternal. But I have shown 
that matter was not eternal. Therefore a material 
being cannot be God. ]S£or let the Latter-Day Saints 
attempt to evade the force of this argument, by saying; 
(as some of them sometimes do say, as a kind of 
palliation of their notions, or an excuse for holding 
them,) God may be partly spirit, but He has a material 
body, for that material body could not be eternal, and, 
therefore, can be no part of Deity. 

Secondly, God is omnipresent. But matter cannot be- 
in more places than one at the same time. Therefore, a 
material being cannot be God. These two propositions 
are irrefutable, the first being a Scripture truth, as, for 
instance, God speaking by Jeremiah says : Do not I fill 
heaven and earth. * Solomon, at the dedication of the 
Temple, says : The heaven of heavens cannot contain 
Thee.f David, in the Psalms, considering the omnipre- 
sence of God, exclaims : "Wliither shall I go from Thy 
Spirit, or whither shall I flee from Thy presence ? If I 
ascend up into heaven, Thou art there : If I make my 



* Jeremiah, xxiii. 24, 



t 2 Chronicles, vL18. 



104 



bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings 
of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of 
the sea, even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy 
right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness 
shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. 
Tea the darkness hideth not from Thee ; but the night 
shineth as the day : the darkness and the light are both 
alike to Thee. # And all the other inspired writers teach 
the same doctrine. The second is a well-known law of 
matter, therefore, the syllogism is complete and the con- 
clusion decisive. 

Thirdly, God is immutable, and unchangeable.. But 
matter is continually changing, therefore a material 
being cannot be Grod. These two propositions are also 
irrefutable. The first is plainly taught in the Scriptures, 
from the beginning to the end. From many hundreds 
of passages take one. The Father of lights with whom 
is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.f The 
second needs no proof to the most superficial observer of 
nature ; for whether we turn our attention to the animal^ 
vegetable, or mineral kingdoms, the changes of matter 
are seen equally clear and plain. Small particles, or 
atoms, which at one time are beheld floating, in the 
atmosphere, are at another found forming a part of the 
structure of vegetables, and at another entering into 
the composition of animal, and even human, bodies. 
Therefore, this conclusion is, like the other, decisive. I 
do not mean to say that it is impossible for matter 
to remain in one state, for such will undoubtedly be 
the case with our resurrection bodies, and is now with 
the glorified body of our Redeemer, etc. But to fix 
matter, even in these instances, requires some other 
power than that possessed by the matter itself, viz., the 
action of spirit upon it. 

I might go on to shew that a material being can be 
neither omnipotent nor omniscient, but we will now turn 
and hear what he has to say upon the subject, who spake 
as never man spake, and who alone can be said really to 
know anything of the person of Deity; for John informs 
us, that no man hath seen Grod at any time, the only 
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he 
* Psalm, cxxxix. 7 — 12. f James, i. 17. 



105 



hath declared hhn. # The Lord Jesus, then, is the only 
authority upon this subject. "What says he, God is 
matter ? No ! God is a corporeal being ? No I "What 
then ? — God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must 
worship him in spirit and in truth, t Hear this ye Mor- 
monites, — Latter-Day Saints, or by whatever name else 
ye are known in society — admit your errors, repent of 
your follies, and never again think of worshipping a 
material god — a being who possesses neither eternity, 
ubiquity, immortality, omnipotence, nor omniscience ; 
and is, therefore, as utterly unworthy of receiving 
homage and adoration, as the idols of heathen and pagan 
nations. Do you say you can comprehend a material 
being but cannot a spiritual one — then let that fact 
prove that the material one is not the true God, for 
what can be more absurd than for a finite mind to 
imagine that it can comprehend infinity. 

But these deluded men (for I really cannot find a 
more appropriate term by which to designate them) tell 
us that there are two or three passages of scripture from 
which their doctrine can be plainly inferred. Let us, 
therefore, very briefly examine them. First (say they), 
God made man in his own image, and, therefore, God 
must be like man in form, shape, nature, &c; and, 
second, Christ is described by the apostle as being in 
the form of God, and he was in the shape of a man, 
therefore God must be in the shape of a man. 

Now, in reference to the former of these passages, 
surely they do not mean to infer that because it is said 
God created man in his own image, that, therefore, he 
was made in every respect a perfect copy or likeness of 
his Creator. Because, taking that view of the subject 
would prove too much, even for the extremes of Mor- 
monism. God made man peccable. Was it therefore 
possible that Deity should sin? God made man with an 
appetite for food, drink, &c. Did it therefore follow that 
the Creator was possessed of these appetites ? Every 
individual, including the Latter-Day Saints, will surely 
answer, No. Then neither does it follow that man was 
made in the image of God, in form, shape, or entire 
nature. The true meaning of the passage is, that God 
* John, i. 18. t John, iv. 24. 



106 



created man and endowed him with intellect, gave him 
a soul, and stamped him with immortality, thus confer- 
ring upon him a boon of which all other creatures on 
the earth had been deprived, and making him more 
nearly allied to himself. It was in mind, intellect, know- 
ledge, righteousness, holiness, &c. which man was made 
after the likeness or in the image of God, and not in 
form and shape. This may be clearly seen from various 
passages in the New Testament. St. Paul, in his epistle 
to the Ephesians, exhorts the members of the church to 
put on the new man, which, after God, is created in 
righteousness and true holiness.* And to the Colossians, 
he makes use of a similar expression, viz. : And have put 
on the new r man, which is renewed in knowledge after 
the image of him that created him.f Shewing, plainly, 
that being made or created in the image of God, meant 
a likeness spiritually and mentally, and not corporeally 
or physically. Thus, no foundation for the Mormonitish 
notion respecting the person of God, can be found in the 
statement of Moses, that God created man in his own 
image. 

Next. — Christ is declared to be in the form of God, &c. 
In answer to this, we may say that the human nature of 
Christ is not said to be in the form of God, but the 
divine nature residing within the corporeal frame ; for 
the apostle states, plainly, that the physical form of the 
Redeemer, was merely taken or submitted to : and, that 
the act of taking it, was a mark of humiliation, which 
it could' not have been, supposing it was to that he 
alluded as being in the form of Deity. The passage 
taken as a whole, so far from proving the doctrine which 
the Latter-Day Saints pretend to infer from it, actually 
proves the contrary, viz. : the wide difference between 
the form of God and that of man. Let nothing be done 
(says the apostle) through strife or vain-glory ; but in 
lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than 
themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but 
every man also on the things of others. Let this mind 
be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus : Who, being 
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal 
with God : But made himself of no reputation, and took 
* Ephesians, iv. 24. t Colossians, Hi. 10. 



upon hini the form of a servant, and was made in the 
likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man ? 
he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, 
even the death of the cross.* Here the wide contrast 
is shewn between the form of God and the form of men ; 
and, therefore, the great and unparalleled humiliation of 
the Saviour of mankind, in taking upon himself the latter 
when in possession of the former. For observe, the 
apostle is enjoining upon the members of the church 
humility and lowliness of mind, and in order to give his 
injunctions a greater force or weight, he holds up the 
conduct and character of Christ as a pattern or example, 
shewing them that in his submitting to take upon him- 
self human nature and to be made in the likeness of men, 
he manifested an extraordinary degree of humility. Is ow 
if the Lord Jesus had always been in the form of man, 
as Mormonism would infer, then there could have been 
but little humility displayed in his making his appearance 
in our world in that form : and, further ! to speak of his 
taking upon himself the form of a servant, and being made 
in the likeness of men, when that was his original form 
and likeness, was using words without meaning. If the 
form of God and that of man were both the same, the 
apostle talks downright nonsense, when he speaks of 
Christ being in the form of God, and taking upon him- 
self, as an act of humiliation, the form of man. But 
instead of their both being the same, suppose a wide and 
infinite contrast between them ; the one, such as could 
be taken cognizance of by animal senses and compre- 
hended by the weakest mental capacity ; and the other 
placed entirely beyond the reach of material organs 
of sense, and incomprehensible to the highest intellect, 
and the most gigantic human mind ; then how great 
was the humiliation and benevolence of that Being 
who, when in rightful possession of the former, should 
deign to take upon himself the latter, in order to bring 
salvation to those who had rebelled against him, and 
who, but for that act, must have been lost for ever. 
Such was the real truth, and to that the apostle alluded, 
which makes his words, instead of proving the truth of 
the Mormonitish notion of the person of God, become a 
* Phillipians, ii. 3^8. 



108 



grand argument against it, by which it can be instantly 
overturned and proved false. 

I think I have now clearly proved that the God of the 
Bible is a spiritual Being, whose form and shape can 
never be known or comprehended by unite man, on this 
side of eternity; and that, therefore, the Latter-Day 
Saints are guilty of great presumption, and wickedness, in 
attempting to conjecture respecting it, and in great error 
in the conclusions to which they have come. I will, 
therefore, now take leave of that part of the subject, 
and come to another point of doctrine, as held by these 
extraordinary people, viz. 

Baptism for the Dead, — Perhaps you may not all be 
aware that, according to Mormonitish doctrines if you 
should have a father, mother, brother, sister, or any 
other relative, or friend, dead, and in the regions of 
endless despair, you may, by undergoing" the process of 
washing, or dipping, (wrongly called baptism,) in a pool, 
or tub of water, by a Latter-Day Saint, priest, or elder, 
remove the souls from hell to the realms of everlasting 
glory. Such, however, is the case. Mormonites can do 
all this for you, at least they pretend they can. This is 
Popery outdone with a witness. The Boman Catholic 
priests pretend that the prayers and sacrifices of the 
living can do something towards removing the souls of 
those who are dead from the fires of purgatory, where 
they have been confined, in order to be purified from 
their evil nature, and punished for some small offences, 
called by them venial sins, but they never profess to be 
able to benefit those who were so bad as to be sent direct 
to hell. But the Mormon priests can do more than the 
priests of Popery, for they can remove souls from hell 
itself to heaven. Put off repentance as long as you please, 
become the most hardened and obdurate sinner imagina- 
ble, and die in that state, and, after death, a kind friend, 
by being baptised for you, can procure you a place in the 
realms of eternal bliss, and enable you to pass that gulf, 
which the old patriarch, Abraham, informed Dives, was 
impassable. So says Mormonism. But that this hor- 
rible notion is directly opposed to the whole tenor of the 
sacred writings, from Genesis to Bevelations, the most 
superficial reader needs not to be informed. 



109 



The doctrine of Baptism for the Dead is not new, nor 
can the Latter-Day Saints, in reality, lay claim to origin- 
ality in teaching it. True they carry it to greater 
extremes than any other sect have done, but the practice 
itself was introduced, by certain heretics, into the Chris- 
tian church at a very early period, and has been retained, 
with a slight modification, in the Eomish church, up to 
the present time. The shape in which this heresy first 
made its appearance, was the baptism of persons, as 
representatives of those who had died during the period 
of their probation, previous to being admitted into full 
communion in the church, as they were kept in this 
state a considerable time under catechism, as they termed 
it, and were, therefore, called catecJiumeni. After this 
the Roman Catholics altered the practice, by substituting 
penances, fastings, prayers, etc., for water baptism, in 
which form they have retained it up to the present time, 
But neither the heretics, with whom it first originated, 
nor the Romanists, carried it to the extent which the 
Latter-Day Saints do. The former limiting it to those 
who had been unexpectedly cut off, while they were 
catecJiumeni, and who were, therefore, preparing for 
becoming Christians, and the latter to those who were of 
their faith. But the Mormonites extend the benefits of 
the practice to persons of every character and opinion. 
Jews, Pagans, Mahometans, and Infidels, thieves, liars, 
harlots, and murderers, may all be saved, notwithstand- 
ing they died unprepared, if some kind friend will only 
consent to be baptised for them, by one of the priests of 
Mormonism. Oh, Joseph Smith, where thy absurdities 
would have ended, hadst thou lived a few years longer, it 
is beyond the power of man's intellect to conjecture. 

This antichristian and superstitious custom seems to 
have originated, in the first instance, in consequence of a 
misinterpretation and misapplication of a certain passage 
of Scripture, and the same cause has retained the Popish 
modification of it, and resucitated it, in connection with 
the Latter-Day Saints. This passage is to be found in 
Saint Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians, and, as it is the 
only one in the whole Bible which the Mormonites ever 
quote, in proof of the truth of the doctrine and correct- 
ness of the practice, we will very briefly review it. 

K 



110 



u Else what shall they do which are baptized for the 
dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then 
baptized for the dead?" # 

Now every thinking individual must see, at one 
glance, that the apostle could have no reference to 
such a baptism as that practised by the Latter-Day 
Saints, for he asks the question, " What shall they 
do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise 
not ? in a manner which implies that it concerned them 
to a very great extent, as though the question of the 
resurrection were one of vital importance to those who 
had been baptized for the dead. Now suppose I be 
baptized, by a priest of Mormonism, for some deceased 
friend or relative, and they are, (according to the doc- 
trine of the Latter-Day Saints,) in consequence of such 
baptism, removed from hell to heaven, what has that 
to do with the resurrection? Nothing at all. How 
I shall then have a greater concern in the resurrection, 
than I had previous to my being so baptized, I cannot 
discover. In fact such a baptism as that practised by 
the Latter-Day Saints can have nothing to do with the 
resurrection at all, and could not, therefore, be the 
baptism spoken of by the apostle. And then notice the 
next verse, " And why stand we in jeopardy every 
hour ?" In jeopardy, about what ? Having been the 
means of removing a soul from the lake of fire, to the 
mansions on high, why should we need be in jeopardy about 
that ? Let the priests of Mormonism inform us ; alas, 
they cannot. The want of connexion between these two 
verses at once overthrows the Mormonites' interpretation 
of the passage. But let us see if we can discover the 
true meaning of the apostle, as this text has puzzled 
some others besides the followers of Joseph Smith. To 
do so the more effectually, we will refer to the original. 

'Ettc* 71 7roirjG8(riv ol PairTL^ojxevoL virep twv veicpwv, ei 

veicpwv. 

Now the word JBaptizomai (fiami'^o^ai) is used in the 
New Testament in various senses. Sometimes to signify 
Christian Baptism, as, pawil^ovies clvtovs eh 70 ovofia tov 
Harpbs iCf iov Ylov tcj rod a^i's Hvevpiaios — Baptizing them 
* 1 Corinthians, xv. 29. 



Ill 

in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost.* Sometimes being washed, as iav firj fiair- 
Ti'ffwvTcu, ovk ieQlaai — except they wash they eat not ;t 
and e O be QapHTaios Idcbv iOavjAaaev on ov irpioiov ifiaw- 
ila%r\ 7rpb tov apl^ov — And when the Pharisee saw it he 
marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner ; % 
and sometimes a baptism of suffering, as ^a-mLCfxa £e eyw 
fiaTTTicQrivai) icai 7ri5? (Tvve^ofiai ews ov TeXeaOrj — But I have 
a baptism to be baptized with, and how am *I straightened 
till it be accomplished ;§ and again, But Jesus answered 
and said unto them Te know not what ye ask. Are ye 
able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be 
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ? 
They say unto him, "We are able. And he saith unto 
them, Te shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized 
with the baptism that I am baptized with. || 

Now the question is, Which of these three meanings 
shall we assign to the words ol pami^ofievoi, occurring in 
the passage under consideration. The Latter-Day Saints 
say the first. Such an interpretation, however, we shall 
find cannot be the true one, for various reasons. Mrst, 
as I have said before, it will not agree with the context, 
i Second, we have no Scriptural authority for performing 

• religious duties by proxy. AH that man has to do, in 
reference to his duty, either to himself, his fellow crea- 
tures, or his Creator, must be done personally. To talk 

• of one person being baptized instead of another, is to 
talk as absurdly and unscriptural as to speak of one indi- 

j vidual exercising faith, repenting, or leading a holy life 
\ for another. And, Third, to believe that those who are 
j dead may still be benefitted by any thing that we can do, 
is Popish, antichristian, and, I need not add, unscriptu- 
<| ral, for the Bible informs us that in that state a great 
ransom cannot deliver, 1 and therefore how much less the 
■j ceremony of baptism — and that there the expectation of 
v the wicked shall perish 2 — and that even a kind and mer- 
ciful God shall laugh at their calamity, and mock at their 
i t fear 3 — and that even he that made them will not have 
mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them 

|j * Matthew, xxviii. 19. t Mark, vii. 4. t Luke, xi. 38. 

§ Luke, xii. 50. || Matthew, xx. 22, 23. 

| i Job, xxxvi. 18. * Proverbs, xi. 7. 3 Proverbs, i. 26. 



112 



no favour 1 — but will burn them up with unquenchable 
fire 2 — punish them with everlasting destruction 3 — and 
doom them to the blackness of darkness for ev^r. 4 

Nor can the second rendering, viz. being washed, be 
the true interpretation of the words of the apostle, being 
as much at variance with the context as Christian bap- 
tism. True it has been so rendered by some commenta- 
tors, who have referred to the case of Dorcas, 5 as a proof 
that it was customary to wash bodies after death ; but 
the want of conformity between the text and the next 
verse, "Why stand we in jeopardy every hour, shews us 
at once that such an opinion is untenable. 

"What, then, is the conclusion to which we must come. 
That the only true interpretation must be the last, viz. 
a baptism of suffering or blood. Viewing the passage in 
this sense, we shall find that it is in strict harmony, not 
only with the following verse, but with the whole of the 
apostle's discourse. After discussing the doctrine of 
the resurrection of the dead, and its relation to the 
resurrection of Christ, he begins to shew them what 
disadvantages they must labour under if there were no 
resurrection. Por then, says he, they which are fallen 
asleep in Christ are perished, 6 and what shall they do 
or what shall become of them who are baptized with the 
baptism of death, or who have suffered martyrdom for 
their religion. And why are they then baptized with 
such a baptism. And why stand we in jeopardy every 
hour of the same. Such a reading appears to my mind 
to be the best adapted to convey the meaning of the 
apostle, and is in strict accordance with the original. 
Nor am I alone in this view. That celebrated and eru- 
dite scholar, Dr. Lightfoot, has given a similar translation' 
of the passage. Otherwise, what shall they do who 
undergo martyrdom and are baptized in that sense, if the 
dead are not at all raised. What shall they do who 
have undergone and do undergo martyrdom, if there be 
not a resurrection ; and why do we also every day and 
every moment go in danger of martyrdom? The same 
profound writer, in another place in his works, alluding 
to the same text, says, The apostle's arguing is to this 

i Isaiah, xxvii. 11. 2 Matt. iii. 12. 3 Thess. i. 9. 4 Jude, i. 13. 
5 Acts, ix.37. 6 1 Cor. xv. 18. 7 Lightfoofs Work$,vol. xii. p. 550. 



113 



sense, If the dead rise not again, what will become of 
those that are baptized with a martyrial baptism, or 
thai/ do suffer death for the profession of the truth. 
Why are they then baptized for the dead, and why stand 
we in jeopardy every hour of such a baptism and martyr- 
dom ? also Why do they suffer, and why are we daily in 
danger to suffer for the truth, if there be no resurrec- 
tion. 1 Thus, neither the practice of baptism for the 
dead, adopted by the Latter-Day Saints, nor that held by 
the Roman Catholics are sanctioned, in the least degree, 
by this passage ; and it is quite unnecessary for me to 
say that they are opposed to every other text in the 
Bible that has any bearing at all upon the subject. I 
would say more in reference to the state of the dead, and 
the nature and duration of the future punishment of the 
wicked, but every person who will take the trouble to con- 
sult the inspired writers for himself, will see at once that 
the Mormonitish notion on this important subject, has 
no foundation in their writings. 

There are two or three other points of doctrine held 
by the Latter-Day Saints, almost as unscriptural as those 
I have brought before your notice, but you have had a 
very fair specimen; and, ex wio disce o?nnes, I will 
therefore bring this Lecture to a close, sincerely hoping 
that none of you may fall into that vortex of error which 
I have endeavoured to expose ; and I think we have now 
proved, beyond the power of contradiction, that Mor- 
monism is a delusion, and her prophets false teachers — 
her apostles vile impostors — her priests and elders 
deceivers — her nature corrupt and wicked — her preten- 
sions presumptuous and vain — her doctrines erroneous 
and unscriptural — her text book a romantic fiction — her 
worship anti-christian — her members deluded fanatics, 
and, I may add, her speedy overthrow sure and certain. 

r , i Ibid, vol. viii. page 210. 



THE END. 



Printed by Baily and Jones, Cirencester. 



! 



IN i PREPARATION AND WILL BE PUBLISHED SHORTL 
PRICE ONE SHILLING. 

THE THEIST'S ARMOUR: 

OK THE 

EXISTENCE OE GOD VINDICATED, 

AND 

ATHEISM EXPOSED & REFUTED 



BY 



DR. SEXTON. 



nan m\ »D»n ovt/K *nn nnwn 

• Moses. 

US? rya/> oF/co? tcaraGiceva^eTai vtto twos' o $e id iravra 
KcLTaffKevdaas, Oeos. — St., Paul. 

Qui mare et terras varisque mundum 
Temperit horis: 
TJnde nil majus generator ipso 
Nec viget quicquam simile ant secundum. 

Horace. 



It Is as certain that there is a God, as that the opposite an 
made by the intersection of two straight lines are equal. 




